Man hit hospital patient (88) until his face 'fell soft' as he thought he had kidnapped his son

Olivia Kelleher

A man accused of murdering an 88-year-old hospital patient who was in the same ward as him told gardaí that he hit the pensioner “probably over 20 times” until his face “fell soft” as he was under the mistaken belief that he had kidnapped his son.

Dylan Magee (33) is on trial at the Central Criminal Court in Cork, charged with the murder of Matthew Healy on January 22nd, 2023, at the Mercy University Hospital (MUH) in the city. The men were not known to each other.

Mr Magee of Churchfield Green, Churchfield in Cork, denies murder but admits manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility.

Mr Magee was admitted to hospital on January 19th, 2023 because family members were concerned he was hallucinating.

When interviewed by gardaí on January 22nd, 2023, Mr Magee said that a traveller gang had been tormenting people on the hospital ward. He said that he had “lost the plot” and started beating Mr Healy, telling him to give him back his child. He was of the belief that Mr Healy was a named person in his twenties.

He said that Mr Healy was asleep in the bed across from him when he started “punching him” and that when he stopped, he (Magee) was “destroyed in blood.”

Mr Magee indicated that he “didn’t know if his kids were dead or alive or what was happening.” He stated that he had a ‘rage’ on him when he attacked Mr Healy.

He said that he remembered punching the man and that it felt like “his hand caved through his (Healy’s) face.”

“I hit him so many times. His face fell soft after. I kind of blanked out a small bit in a fit of rage. He was after kidnapping my son.”

He stated that he had probably hit Mr Healy “over twenty times".

“When I hit him and his face fell soft, I thought ‘enough is enough.’ I thought it was (named person).

I don’t know how I mistook him (Matthew Healy). I thought he (named man) had come in (to the hospital) and was lying across from me. I didn’t know he was 89. I thought it was (named person).”

The jury of eight men and four women heard that Mr Magee was of the belief that he played in a match just hours before the attack on Matthew Healy. In reality, he was in a hospital ward alongside five other patients.

In a later garda interview, Mr Magee said that the attack involved “knuckles — straight punches.” Mr Magee didn’t recall wandering around the hospital ward and going up to patients in the hours before the incident. He also stated that he had no sleep in hospital.

He said he was “seeing dead people” when he was brought to the GP prior to his hospital admission. When asked why he was looking for a blade in hospital, he said, “why would I look for a blade?"

The jury also heard that in a garda interview on January 23rd, 2023, Mr Magee was talking to the wall instead of the investigating officers. A doctor was called as gardai felt that Mr Magee was “hallucinating.”

Meanwhile, Defence psychiatrist, Dr Stephen Monks, said that Mr Magee had a family history which was marred by bereavement and illness. He noted his extensive history of substance abuse.

Dr Monks said that Mr Magee gave him an account of the circumstances which led to his hospital admission. He informed him that in December 2022, he was using benzodiazepines, which he had purchased from the internet. Mr Magee said that he had taken up to 120 tablets a week before his admission to MUH.

Dr Monks said that Mr Magee had Covid-19 prior to his admission. He was also using cannabis and suffering from insomnia. He stated that the GP had given him (Magee) an urgent referral to MUH with suspected delirium.

Dr Monks said it was his belief that the delirium evolved into withdrawal delirium.

“That is a life-threatening condition. Or it can be. He was in an acute state of delirium.”

Dr Monks said that Mr Magee told him that he remembered “very little” from hospital.

“He said he couldn’t disagree with anything in the book of evidence”, as he “just doesn’t remember.”

Mr Magee was given medication in prison to treat withdrawal. Dr Monks said that as a result, he was “back to his baseline” within a few weeks.

Dr Monks said that when he spoke to Mr Magee in June 2023, there was “no evidence of major illness or mental disorder".

Evidence was also given by Prosecution psychiatrist, Dr Richard Church, who said that Dylan Magee was very severely impaired to the point of being unable to refrain from acting.

Dr Church said not only was he (Magee) unable to refrain, "but professionals around him when his aggression was escalating were unable to prevent him from carrying out the attack".

Dr Church said a verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity is available to the jury to consider. So too is the verdict of diminished responsibility. The trial continues.