Man who strangled his father at five-star Ballyfin resort found not guilty by reason of insanity

"A wealthy New Yorker who strangled his father at a five-star midlands resort after the 66-year-old had travelled from the US on a "mission of mercy" to help his son has been found not guilty of murder by reason of insanity. The 12 jurors accepted evidence given by two psychiatrists that the accused Henry McGowan was suffering from schizoaffective disorder when he killed his father at the Ballyfin Demesne hotel and fulfilled the criteria for the special verdict."

"A wealthy New Yorker who strangled his father at a five-star midlands resort after the 66-year-old had travelled from the US on a "mission of mercy" to help his son has been found not guilty of murder by reason of insanity. The 12 jurors accepted evidence given by two psychiatrists that the accused Henry McGowan was suffering from schizoaffective disorder when he killed his father at the Ballyfin Demesne hotel and fulfilled the criteria for the special verdict."

Henry McGowan, a wealthy New Yorker, strangled his 66-year-old father at the five-star Ballyfin Demesne midlands resort. The father had travelled from the United States on a "mission of mercy" to help his son. Twelve jurors accepted psychiatric evidence that McGowan was suffering from schizoaffective disorder at the time of the killing. Two psychiatrists testified to the illness and that McGowan fulfilled the legal criteria for the special verdict. The jury returned a verdict of not guilty of murder by reason of insanity. The special verdict reflects a legal finding that mental disorder prevented criminal responsibility.

Read at Independent