Man tried to murder woman after becoming convinced she gave him STI, court told

It was during the opening of the Central Criminal Court trial of attempted murder accused Jineesh John today that Brendan Grehan SC, prosecuting, said the consultant psychiatrists for both the State and defence are in agreement "of the core facts" that the defendant was suffering from a mental disorder at the time of the offence.

Jineesh John (43), with an address at The Crescent Building, Park West, Dublin 12 has pleaded not guilty to the attempted murder of a woman at a location in West Dublin on May 21, 2023.

Mr John also pleaded not guilty to making a threat to kill or cause the woman serious harm without lawful excuse, intending her to believe that the said threat would be carried out on the same occasion.

He further pleaded not guilty to falsely imprisoning the woman by intentionally or recklessly detaining her without her consent at the same time.

In addition, the defendant pleaded not guilty to producing in a manner likely unlawfully to intimidate another person, an article capable of inflicting serious injury, to wit a hammer on the same date, while committing or appearing to be about to commit an offence of false imprisonment of the woman.

Fiona Murphy SC, defending, told the jury that the defence of not guilty by reason of insanity under the Criminal Law Insanity Act 2006 was being sought by the panel.

Opening the prosecution's case today, Mr Grehan told the 12 jurors that the issue of insanity had been raised by the defence and the four charges related to a single incident which happened over a 30 minute period between 8.50pm and 9.30pm at an Industrial Estate on May 21, 2023.

Counsel told the jury that the woman in the case came to the public office at a garda station on the morning of May 22 seeking to speak to officers. He said Detective Garda Tom Balfe interviewed the victim, where she set out how she was falsely imprisoned in the accused's car, that he had threatened to kill her and she believed she was going to be killed by him.

Mr Grehan said the jury would hear that Mr John and the woman had previously worked together in a health care setting but despite this they were not particularly known to each other. He said they had moved onto different jobs but contact had been re-established.

Under the guise that the accused was giving presents to her and was helping her fill out a medical assistance form, Mr Grehan said the woman had agreed to meet Mr John and go with him in his car.

Outlining the facts of the case, the lawyer said when the pair got to an industrial estate the accused told her to close her eyes as he had a present for her. He said the woman complied with that request but when she opened her eyes the accused threw hot chilli powder or flakes into her face attempting to blind her in the eyes.

The woman went to get out of the car but discovered the door handle and the switch activating the window had been duct taped over so it was not usable.

Mr Grehan told the jury that the accused had threatened to kill the woman and said he was going to kill her. Mr John then threatened her with a hammer he had in the car whilst she pleaded with him not to kill her, he added.

The court heard further evidence will be that the only way the accused agreed to let the woman go was if she was prepared to say on a mobile phone video-recording that she had given him a sexually transmitted disease in 2021.

Counsel said the woman had no contact "in any way, shape or form" with Mr John but that the accused had developed "a preoccupation", which she was unaware of. He said the accused made a number of short videos in the car that day, which the jury would see.

The barrister further stated that the woman was prepared to say anything to be let go and Mr John dropped her back to her home. The woman and her husband later went to the garda station where she handed over her clothing and an investigation ensued.

The prosecution barrister went on to tell the court that the woman's clothing was examined and there was a pepper like substance still adhering to parts of them.

He said the jury would hear from two consultant psychiatrists on behalf of the defence and the prosecution, who will say the accused was suffering from a mental disorder namely a delusional disorder at the time, which qualifies him for a special verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity.

DETECTIVE EVIDENCE

Giving evidence today, Detective Garda Thomas Balfe told Mr Grehan that the woman was a health care assistant and worked for different agencies. He said the woman had met the accused, who was also a health care worker, at a care home facility in April or May 2021.

The detective said the woman and the accused sometimes worked together in the same shift but she didn't know him well. The woman left the health care facility but the accused continued working there.

In October 2022, the detective said the accused had contacted the woman by phone looking for advice about a hospital, after her friend gave the woman's number to Mr John. The woman wasn't sure who the accused was but knew he was a former colleague and gave him advice during a brief telephone call.

The woman had offered to help the accused with the application process for the hospital and he rang her again a month later.

Around Christmas 2022, the accused called the woman to say he wanted to drop off gifts to her children and he met her when she got off the bus, said Mr Grehan.

The witness said the accused arranged to call to the woman's house regarding filling out a church form at 8.30pm on May 21. The woman got into the car to fill out the form and didn't suspect anything. The accused then started to drive his car before pulling up on a footpath beside an industrial estate.

The detective said when the car was pulled over the accused told the woman to close her eyes as he wanted to give her a surprise. When she opened her eyes the accused rubbed a handful of really hot chilli powder in her face, which stung her eyes and lips. The accused also had a hammer in one of his hands.

The detective said when the woman tried to get out of the car she could see that everywhere was sealed with black sticky tape, including the door handle. The woman thought the accused was going to kill her and started preaching at him not to do so.

The witness said the accused kept saying: "I'm going to kill you, say your last prayer". The accused told her he had never killed before but he was going to kill her. The accused told the woman that she had given him a sexually transmitted disease (STD) to which she told him that she had never slept with him. Mr John said he would only let her go on condition she said she gave him an STD.

The accused proceeded to record on his mobile phone the woman saying she gave him an STD in 2021 despite never kissing or having sexual contact with him. He made another video of the woman saying she gave him a STD through kissing before dropping her home.

The witness said gardai later found a black-handled knife inside the accused's driver's door as well as a hatchet, a lump hammer and containers containing a chilli like substance. Black duct tape and adhesive tapping were also seized from inside the passenger door as well as a Jerrycan containing flammable petrol.

FORENSIC PSYCHIATRIST

Consultant forensic psychiatrist Dr Stephen Monks, who was called on behalf of the defence, told Fiona Murphy SC that when he met with the accused in April and October 2024 the accused remained 90 per cent convinced he was deliberately infected with HIV by the victim in the case, despite medical evidence to the contrary.

Dr Monks said the accused is suffering from delusionary disorder and depression, which are both mental illnesses. He said the accused's actions were directly driven by delusional thinking in response to the psychotic belief that he had been harmed by the victim.

He said Mr John met the three criteria for a mental disorder under the Criminal Law Insanity Act 2006; namely that he did not know the nature and quality of his act, that he did not know what he was doing was wrong and that he was unable to refrain from committing the act.

The trial continues tomorrow before Mr Justice Paul McDermott and a jury of seven men and five women.