US national on trial for murdering his father at luxury Laois hotel

Alison O'Riordan

A US national described "in detail" how he strangled his 66-year-old father with his bare hands, putting a "full fist into his throat", just hours after arriving at a five-star midlands resort, a Central Criminal Court jury has heard.

Opening the trial of Henry McGowan, who has pleaded not guilty to the murder of his father by reason of insanity, the prosecuting barrister also said that, despite being notified by the UK's metropolitan police that the accused was travelling to Ireland and there was some concern for his welfare, gardaí failed to locate him at Dublin Airport.

The jury panel also heard the accused was under the delusion that the person he was killing was not his father but "an imposter", with expert psychiatrists for both the prosecution and defence in agreement that Henry McGowan was experiencing a relapse of schizoaffective disorder when he killed his father.

McGowan (31), with an address at Clinton Street, Brooklyn, New York in the United States has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to the murder of John McGowan (66) at Ballyfin Demesne, Ballyfin, Portlaoise, Co Laois, on November 12th, 2024.

Opening the prosecution’s case on Tuesday, Will Fennelly BL said the trial would hear from expert consultant psychiatrists for both the prosecution and defence, who have the same opinion that a verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity was open to the jurors.

Outlining the facts of the case, Fennelly said shortly before 8pm on November 12th, 2024 investigators received a phone call alerting them to an incident which occurred in a cubicle off the swimming pool at Ballyfin Demesne hotel.

Fennelly said the jury would hear that gardaí went to Ballyfin hotel after 8pm and found John McGowan in a state "of at least serious injury, if not death". Emergency services arrived, and John McGowan was pronounced dead in due course.

He said the focus of attention then moved to John McGowan's son Henry, and a garda investigation ensued.

Henry's arrival in Ireland

Counsel told the panel that shortly before 11pm on November 11th, Henry McGowan arrived at Dublin Airport on a flight from London.

The barrister said metropolitan police had notified An Garda Síochána in Dublin Airport that the accused was coming and expressed some concern for his welfare. He said gardaí had looked for Henry McGowan at the airport but could not locate him.

There will be evidence, Fennelly said, that the accused went to one of the airport car parks, where he discarded his baggage and personal items, including his phone and passport. The lawyer said the accused then made his way into Dublin.

He said Henry McGowan told gardaí in his interviews that he ran into the city centre.

At 8.30am on November 12th, the accused presented himself at the emergency department of the Mater Hospital, where he spoke with medical staff. Henry McGowan told them he was having mental health challenges and was seeking some assistance.

In the meantime, counsel said John McGowan was en route from the US because his son Henry had been in phone communication from Paris with his family in the preceding days.

"There was an exchange between the accused and family members, which caused considerable concern as to his welfare," said the lawyer.

Henry McGowan, counsel said, had previously encountered challenges with his mental health, and there was a concern that the accused was not taking his medication.

Fennelly said that John McGowan arrived at Dublin Airport from New York on November 12th and went to his son at the Mater Hospital around midday. The evidence will be that a prescription was issued for the accused's mental health difficulties and that both men left the hospital at 3.40pm.

Father and son's arrival in Laois

The McGowans then took a taxi to Ballyfin Demesne in Co Laois, where John McGowan told the general manager that he had "a bit of a concern" his son hadn't been taking his medication, but that there was nothing to worry about at this point.

The manager found the accused perfectly normal and engaging, said the barrister.

The accused was later shown to the pool and given a pair of swimming togs to use.

The court will hear evidence that shortly afterwards, a member of staff observed the accused walking along the poolside naked and notified the manager.

In the interim, John McGowan had also gone to the swimming pool area and was observed on CCTV speaking to his son. The accused was lying naked on a pool lounger, but put on a robe before both men went into the cubicle area.

Counsel said the father and son remained in the cubicle area for a number of minutes, after which the accused emerged naked and jumped into the pool. He then got out, wrapped a towel around him and left the area.

The accused, counsel said, met the two staff members coming down to see him because of what they had observed earlier.

When the manager enquired about the accused's father, counsel said the jury would hear that Henry McGowan said "he is not my father".

The court will hear that the manager went back down to the dressing area off the pool, where he found John McGowan lying on the ground.

Two members of staff brought him out of the area and performed CPR, but he was pronounced dead by a doctor shortly after.

Fennelly said gardaí arrived at the hotel around 8.15pm and found the accused sitting in the library, looking at a fire. He was dressed in clothes that belonged to his father.

When asked what happened, the accused told gardaí that he had hurt his father. The accused continued to speak, saying: "I killed who I thought was my father...downstairs I hit his head against the wall and strangled him".

The accused was formally arrested when gardaí were advised that John McGowan was dead. Fennelly said the cause of death was asphyxia due to manual strangulation and compression of the mouth.

Fennelly said the jury will hear that the accused was brought to a psychiatric unit in the midlands the next morning, where he was assessed by a psychiatrist and deemed fit for interview. The accused was also prescribed certain medication.

Henry McGowan was interviewed on four occasions by gardaí, where he told them that he had been diagnosed with a bipolar condition at 27 years old. The accused also told officers that he had been hospitalised in the US in relation to this and was on a programme of medication.

The accused indicated he had stopped taking his medication, and while in Paris, he found his psychosis was becoming elevated.

The jury will hear that the accused also told gardaí he had killed his father and that he couldn't make "sense of the thoughts that go through my head". The accused also said: "I don't look back on the decision, I'm not looking back".

Counsel said the accused told detectives that he had strangled his father in a bathroom and had told the deceased he would "always love him as he had his last breath".

Henry McGowan further said he had grabbed his father by the chest and pushed him hard, before strangling him on the bathroom floor with his bare hands.

The barrister said the accused had described in detail killing his father and told gardaí it was difficult to choke him. Counsel said Henry McGowan went on to say: "I counted to 49 and when I got to 49 he was breathing and had a pulse. I counted on 20 seconds longer and he stopped. He kept gasping for air".

The accused continued saying: "I was seething and physically tired... Once he hit his head and was on the ground he wasn't resisting. I then put a full fist into his throat using full force. I pushed down on his Adam's apple but he kept breathing. I then put full force on his throat with my knuckles. It was shocking how long it took. I say it took in the region of eight minutes".

Counsel said defence witness Dr Stephen Monks examined the accused, finding that he had experienced a relapse of schizoaffective disorder and was suffering from an acute psychotic episode.

The court heard that the psychiatrist found the accused did not know the true nature and quality of the act, was deluded that the person he was killing was not his father but "an imposter" and that he did not know what he was doing was wrong.

"He believed he was morally justified and duty-bound and could not refrain," said counsel.

A psychiatrist for the prosecution, counsel said, found the accused was also suffering from schizoaffective disorder and accepted the conclusion reached by Dr Monks as to his mental state at the time. "The psychiatric evidence is not disputed in the case," concluded counsel.

The trial continues on Tuesday afternoon before Judge Paul McDermott and a jury of six men and six women.

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