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Charleville mother speaks out following inquest

Wednesday, 19 August 2015 19:27

The inquest was held in Mallow earlier today.

There were emotional and heartbreaking scenes at the inquest into the deaths of the O'Driscoll twins from Charleville who were fatally stabbed last September by their older brother Jonathan.

Their mother Helen clutched onto a photo of her three sons and a rosary beads that hung around her neck while her husband Thomas mostly hung his head as the details of the evidence were read out.

It emerged that following a road accident in 2012 Jonathan began to frequently visit his GP complaining of aches and pains.

The following year his mother contacted the GP to say he had become aggressive and difficult to deal with. Shortly after this Helen took a barring order out against Jonathan who had pushed her against a wall and put his hands around her throat after accusing her of withholding information about his birth family.

He was referred for a psychiatric assessment after the incident and was placed on anti-depressant medication. Shortly afterwards Helen dropped the barring order.

Toxicology tests however revealed that he had not been taking his medication in the days prior to the stabbing.

Speaking to RedFM News after the inquest Helen said that mental health issues should always be taken seriously and listening is sometimes as important as talking.

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