An Ireland-based Nigerian, Brian Ogbo, has been sentenced to three and a half years in prison for killing his 82-year-old grandmother, Stella Nnadi, during what an Irish court described as a severe psychotic episode.
Ogbo, 39, was sentenced by the Cork Circuit Criminal Court after pleading guilty to the manslaughter of his grandmother at the family residence in Carrigaline, County Cork, on February 23, 2025.
According to reports presented before the court, the defendant relocated from Nigeria to Ireland in December 2024 to reunite with his mother, Ruby Ogbo, and his grandmother.
The court heard that Ogbo had been diagnosed with schizophrenia in 2017 and was supposed to be receiving anti-psychotic treatment.
His mother, who works as a social worker, reportedly made repeated efforts to secure his medication after he missed two scheduled injections while trying to access mental health services in Ireland.
Presiding judge, Sinead Behan, reportedly observed that the defendant was clearly experiencing a psychotic breakdown at the time of the incident.
A detective identified as Tom Delaney told the court that Ogbo had behaved erratically for several hours before the attack, allegedly damaging parts of the kitchen and consuming all the food in the house.
The detective explained that tension escalated after his mother confronted him over his actions and threatened to confiscate his mobile phone and disconnect the home’s internet service.
According to the court proceedings, Ruby later removed the internet router from the house before attempting to leave, but Ogbo allegedly pursued her with a pair of scissors.
The court heard that he pushed his mother to the ground and assaulted her before going upstairs in search of his grandmother, who had locked herself inside a bathroom.
“He demanded that she open the door while she cried out in fear,” the detective reportedly told the court.
Ruby was said to have fled the house to seek help from neighbours, informing them that her son intended to kill the elderly woman.
The court further heard that Ogbo eventually forced the bathroom door open, dragged his grandmother downstairs, and forced her outside the building.
Although the victim initially appeared stable, her condition reportedly worsened two days later after she began experiencing complications.
Medical examinations later revealed bleeding in her brain, and she subsequently died in hospital on February 25, 2025.
A postmortem examination reportedly attributed her death to blunt force trauma sustained during the assault.
Defence counsel, Jane Hyland, described the case as a tragedy for both the family and the defendant, noting that Ogbo had always maintained a close relationship with his grandmother.
She argued that his mental condition at the time severely impaired his ability to control his actions and suggested that a full trial could have resulted in a verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity.
Judge Behan criticised shortcomings within the mental health system, stating that the tragedy could possibly have been prevented with adequate psychiatric support.
The judge also condemned what she described as serious failures in the provision of mental healthcare services.
According to the report, an appointment for Ogbo’s psychiatric treatment reportedly arrived by post two days after the killing.
The court considered his early guilty plea, absence of previous criminal convictions, and support from family members before sentencing him to five years imprisonment, with the final 18 months suspended.
The sentence was backdated to February 27, 2025, when he was first remanded in custody.
The court also directed that Ogbo must continue engaging with mental health and probation services after completing his jail term.