Farmer deemed unfit to stand trial over murder

Monday 20 January 2014 22.32

A 65-year-old Wicklow farmer with dementia and Parkinson's disease has been deemed unfit to stand trial for the murder of his older brother in 2010.

Cecil Tomkins is charged with murdering 66-year-old Walter Tomkins at their home in Cronlea, Shillelagh on 1 July of that year.

When his case was called before the Central Criminal Court yesterday, Mr Justice Paul Carney heard there was an issue about his fitness to stand trial.

His barrister, John O'Kelly SC, said his client had been suffering from advanced and aggressive Parkinson's disease for a number of years and was currently an inpatient in Bloomfield Hospital in Dublin.

He said Mr Tomkins also had depression and dementia, lacked the capacity to make any decision and was unable to direct his solicitor.

He handed the court a report prepared by an interdisciplinary team and called a consultant psychiatrist from Bloomfield Hospital to give evidence on the issue.

Dr John Tobin said that Mr Tomkins had advanced dementia and very advanced Parkinson's disease, the latter since 2006.

"It's been very, very progressive," he explained.

The doctor also said that Mr Tomkins had a history of seizures secondary to loss of brain tissue.

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Farmer deemed unfit to stand trial over murder