Mum's injuries to face, neck, back and legs

A 75-YEAR-OLD woman had injuries to her face, neck, back and legs consistent with multiple blows, manual strangulation and possible suffocation, a pathologist has told the Central Criminal Court.

- BY EOIN REYNOLDS

Miriam Burns died from injuries which were inflicted by her son, Billy Burns, 55, who has pleaded not guilty to his mother's murder by reason of insanity.

The court has heard that Mr Burns has a diagnosis of bipolar affective disorder.

Eugene Morgan, a consultant psychiatrist at Cork Prison, has told the trial that the accused meets the criteria for the special verdict. Dr Stephen Monks, a consultant psychiatrist at the Central Mental Hospital, said that despite Mr Burns's mental illness, he understood the nature and quality of his actions when killing his mother.