Walsh sought help months before attacking girlfriend
Sean Walsh, the man jailed last week for attacking his partner and a toddler, tried to be admitted as a full time psychiatric patient just three months before the attacks.
Walsh was jailed last week for 15 years for the attack on his former girlfriend, Georgette O'Carroll and her three-year-old daughter in November 2004. That August, he sought help, his parents told the Kilkenny People this week.
"He was very paranoid and told us he was hearing voices in his head. He wasn't able to cope and just wanted to stop it all. He knew he needed help,' father Larry Walsh said.
"He wanted to be admitted but he was told that he would have to be assessed first. Sen walked out in the middle of a consultation. He has had suicidal tendencies for years and stood out in front of a train in Wigan when we lived there," his father added.
According to his family the Health Service Executive made no attempt to follow up Sen's cry for help. "What happened in November wouldn't have happened if Sen had got the treatment he needed. In the weeks before the attack Sen couldn't sleep and was hearing voices in his head. We tried to keep him at home. It was the worst we ever saw him. He was very withdrawn and wouldn't communicate," they said.
Walsh, who had a heroin problem, had been a psychiatric outpatient at St Canice's Hospital since he arrived here in 2001 from the UK. He had been in regular contact with the psychiatric services in Wigan from the age of 15.
"He started to cut himself at 14 and was sent to a family psychiatrist by his school. He went from being a wild youngster to being reckless and not noticing danger. "At 16 he was sent to a psychiatric unit in Leeds. Sen was getting more dangerous and reckless and we were fearful for him. He was assessed there but he was not admitted and there was no follow up."
The Kilkenny People has seen a medical report which was given to local gardai by Sen Walsh's GP in January 2004 or ten months before the attack. The letter states that Walsh attended the GP in question from May 2001. The doctor says Walsh has long-standing psychological problems which necessitated in-depth assessment by the local mental health services. A spokesperson for the Health Service Executive told the Kilkenny People that they do not comment on individual cases.
No excuses
Walsh's parents make no excuses for the vicious and horrific crime that their son carried out in Kilkenny in November 2004. "We knew that Sen was drained and under a huge amount of pressure at the time but that is no excuse. Sen has no explanation for doing what he did. He can't remember doing it. What he did can never be excused but it could have been avoided if Sen had got the help he needed.
"Sen knew himself he had problems. If he had got the help he needed he wouldn't have done what he did. Sen would be out today if he had been listened to," they added.
His parents are adamant that they want to put an end to the rumours that their son was involved in the murder of Jamie Bulger. "I brought him up. Sen has never even been to Liverpool and we have never lived there. I remember the day Jamie Bulger was killed we were all shocked including Sen who was only a child at the time. For once and for all we want to put an end to these rumours that are destroying all our lives. Our son is in a 23-hour lockdown in Wheatfield Prison for his own safety. There is no truth to these rumours. We have contacted the British embassy and they told us that if anyone wants to establish that Sen Walsh is Sen Walsh then all they have to do is contact them," added his parents.
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Monday 21 May 2012
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