Dublin solicitor Daire McCormack George pleads not guilty by reason of insanity for father's murder

Former Dublin solicitor Daire McCormack George (31) has entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity for the murder of his father, Scott George (76), in Balbriggan on 12 December 2024. The killing, in which the victim was stabbed 27 times, was described by prosecutors as a deliberate act. George, who previously worked for the law firm Mason Hayes & Curran, told detectives he acted because of paranoid thoughts that his father would harm his mother and sister.

The case is being heard before a jury of ten men and two women at the Central Criminal Court. Prosecuting counsel Vincent Heneghan SC and defence counsel Michael Bowman SC will present psychiatric evidence, with both sides agreeing that the accused suffers from a mental disorder at the time of the offence. The trial is expected to conclude by the end of the week.