A woman who claims her life would have been better if medics had diagnosed her properly when she was younger has been granted bail on condition she stays at St Loman’s Hospital.
Catherine O’Brien, who is currently homeless made an emotional plea to Judge John Neilan at Mullingar District Court, telling him she wanted a normal, stable life for herself and for her daughter.
Mr Louis Kiernan made an application for his client to be granted bail to stay at St Loman’s Hospital to receive treatment.
However, Inspector Jarlath Folan and the judge had serious concerns about her.
The judge said Ms O’Brien could only be admitted voluntarily and “if she goes back on bail, she can disappear again”.
He outlined her history, saying that her daughter is with her mother in Clara, Co Offaly where Ms O’Brien herself failed to remain under strict bail conditions.
She then took up residence in a house with a man where she was associating with what the judge called “undesirables and criminal activists”.
He said that she and another woman had told him “blatant lies” in Longford when the other woman said she had known Ms O’Brien for a number of years and wanted to provide her with accommodation.
However problems developed and that woman was evicted shortly afterwards.
Under questioning from Inspector Folan, Ms O’Brien said she had been paying rent to the woman but wasn’t aware that she wasn’t giving the rent money to the owner of the property.
Judge Neilan spoke of a man giving evidence at Longford District Court of being “in fear of his life” of Ms O’Brien.
When charged with the offence before the court, she told Garda Robert Feery that she believed her life would be better today if she had been diagnosed properly when she first came to the HSE.
Giving her evidence, she went on to say that now she was working with a good doctor who was properly helping her, she realised that the way she had been behaving was “totally wrong” and she apologised.
“I’m actually sitting down, talking to the doctor,” she said. “I can trust him. He’s really good, he wants to help me.”
She said that she had previously covered up how she felt inside.
“I’d really appreciate if you give me a chance to turn my life around,” she said. “I want to be a good mum. I want to have my own place. I don’t want to be out of control for the rest of of my life.”
She said she hadn’t been well since she was 16 and what she said was a wrong diagnosis of ADD hadn’t helped her.
“I’m able to look you in the eye,” she told Judge Neilan. “I wouldn’t have been able to do that a couple of months ago. I’m a better person.”
She agreed to be a voluntary patient at St Loman’s and bail was granted on condition that Gardaí are notified if she discharges herself or is formally discharged.
