A man – who was previously convicted of manslaughter – has been jailed after he attempted to drown his girlfriend in the bath while experiencing a “psychotic episode” in the midst of which he claimed to be “the lamb of God” and insisted that the woman was “possessed” by the devil.
Anthony Locke (48) who has an address at Ramillies Rd, Ballyfermot, pleaded guilty in respect of the incident which necessitated the deployment of a full battalion of Armed Response Unit (ARU) Gardaí in order to bring him under control.
The court heard that the incident unfolded at an apartment complex in Kilmainham, Dublin 12, on the 5th of September 2024.
Locke was charged with assault causing harm, making threats to kill, and criminal damage.
The victim, who was described as a “vulnerable” woman, had been sharing her apartment with Locke and was involved in a “tumultuous” relationship with him. On the day in question Locke started to insist that he was Jesus and that the woman needed to be cleansed in the “holy water” of the bath as she was “possessed by the devil”.
After the woman refused to comply, saying she wanted to go to the shops “for fags”, Locke grabbed her and tried to force her into the bath, however she resisted and eventually managed to get out of the apartment.
The court heard that Locke proceeded to flood the apartment, smash ornaments, and throw items off the balcony during the episode.
Sergeant Jerry Dalton described how the accused had “some fascination with canals and water” and had asked the injured party to go for a walk with him by a body of water before the incident began, but that she had refused as he had been “talking about religion and believed he was “the lamb of God”.
The woman described trying to calm him down by getting him tea and sleeping tablets before the incident.
During the incident, she described being in fear for her life as Locke was “capable of doing anything he wanted” to her.
When Gardaí arrived on the scene there was water coming out from under the door of the apartment where the accused had poured oil on the ground in order to try and prevent Gardaí from entering.
Sergeant Dalton described how the accused had repeatedly said he wanted to “kill everyone” and how “everyone who entered was possessed”, and that he had threatened to set fire to himself and all present.
When a full deployment of the ARU arrived on the scene Locke “fought like a caged tiger” and tried to grab weapons from the officers.
The slippery floors caused by the oil made matters more difficult, but Locke was eventually subdued and arrested under Section 12 of the Mental Health Act.
Locke repeatedly said that he needed to put the woman in the bath so she could be “reborn from the holy water”.
While in prison in Cloverhill, his mental health deteriorated and he was conveyed to the Central Mental Hospital before being brought back to prison.
Judge Martin Nolan questioned if the accused hadn’t pleaded insanity, but was assured that a psychiatric report had concluded that he was fit to plead.
The victim suffered extensive bruising to her arms and chest area and is still seeing a psychiatrist once a week, the court heard.
The court heard that Locke was previously jailed for manslaughter after setting fire to a house causing the death of a man and his heavily pregnant partner in 1998.
He also previously impeded the apprehension of a murderer in respect of a case in which his brother was convicted.
Judge Nolan noted evidence that the accused had stopped taking his medication 7 months prior to the incident, according to a statement made by the injured party.
He said the accused was suffering from “severe mental health difficulties” and that no doubt, this had also been the case when his previous offending took place.
He said the woman had been subjected to a “terrifying ordeal” and that “if he had his way he would have killed her, and made credible threats to cause serious harm.”
Judge Nolan said that, although it was the court’s view that Locke poses “a future risk to society”, that it was not appropriate to “engage in preventive detention”, and that only a “normal sentence” could be passed.
He noted that the offending was at the higher end of Section 3 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act, before sentencing Locke to 8 years in jail with the final 2 years suspended on condition of good behaviour while in custody, that he engage with the probation services for 18 months after release, and that he stay away from the injured party.