Man banned from visiting Ireland for 20 years found unfit to plead after allegedly breaching order

Olivia Kelleher

A man charged with breaching a court order which banned him from visiting Ireland for 20 years has been found unfit to plead at this time.

Matthew Notman of Laburnam House, Laburnam Avenue, Kirkby in Nottingham in the UK, appeared before a sitting of Skibbereen District Court in West Cork in January of this year.

His appearance in court followed an alleged breach of an order made at Cork Circuit Criminal Court on June 30th, 2022.

The order was that Mr Notman was prohibited from communicating directly or indirectly with a woman living in West Cork. He was also ordered to stay out of Ireland for two decades.

The accusation was that Mr Notman communicated with the woman on Facebook Messenger on November 13th and 14th, 2024. It was also alleged that Mr Notman entered Ireland by ferry from the UK on November 10th, 2024.

The case was sent forward to Cork Circuit Criminal Court. Defence barrister, Paula McCarthy, BL, has told the court that a report from a psychiatrist at the Central Mental Hospital indicates that Mr Notman is suffering from a major mental health illness.

He was admitted to the hospital earlier this year following an acute psychotic episode characterised by grandiose delusions where he was of the belief that he was the “King of Ireland” returning to make the woman “the Queen of Ireland.” He also was of the opinion that he had “royal blood.”

The report states that Mr Notman, who is in his 30s, is making “slow but steady improvement” in hospital, where he is back on psychotropic medication. Ms McCarthy said that her client intends to enter a guilty plea.

Judge Helen Boyle was told that the DPP accepts the findings of the report from the hospital.

Judge Boyle said that she was satisfied that “at the moment he (Notman) is not fit to plead.”

“He (Notman) has had a long-established history of major mental illness since the age of 21. (This includes) schizophrenia affective disorder and bipolar affective disorder.”

An updated report will be furnished to the court on July 15th next. Mr Notman will continue to receive treatment at the Central Mental Hospital.