RismadarVoice Reporters, May 25, 2026
A 39-year-old Nigerian man living in Ireland has been handed a three-and-a-half-year prison sentence after being found responsible for the death of his elderly grandmother during a severe psychotic episode, a tragedy an Irish judge said could have been prevented had the country’s mental health system functioned properly.
Brian Ogbo, who had been diagnosed with schizophrenia in 2017, pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of 82-year-old Stella Nnadi at the family’s home in Carrigaline, County Cork, on February 23, 2025. The Cork Circuit Criminal Court handed down a five-year sentence, with the final 18 months suspended.
Ogbo had only recently arrived in Ireland in December 2024, relocating from Nigeria to live with his mother, Ruby Ogbo, a social worker, and his grandmother. According to court proceedings, Ruby had made persistent efforts to obtain anti-psychotic medication for her son after his arrival, but he missed two scheduled monthly injections while she struggled to navigate the Irish mental health system.
On the day of the incident, the court heard that Ogbo had spent hours pacing the house, destroyed parts of the kitchen, and consumed all the food available. A confrontation over a phone and home WiFi access preceded the violence. He subsequently attacked his mother before forcing his way into a locked bathroom where his grandmother had sought refuge, dragging her downstairs and outside the house.
Though Stella initially appeared unharmed, she deteriorated two days later and died in the hospital on February 25, 2025. A postmortem confirmed she died from blunt force trauma to the head sustained during the assault.
Presiding Judge Sinead Behan did not spare the Irish mental health system from sharp criticism, describing failures in Ogbo’s psychiatric care as “unforgivable” and stating the death was arguably avoidable. In a grim detail underscoring systemic neglect, a treatment appointment letter for Ogbo reportedly arrived by post two days after the killing.
Defence counsel Jane Hyland described the case as a tragedy for all involved, noting that Ogbo’s mental capacity was so severely compromised at the time that he could not control his actions conditions she argued could have supported a verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity had the matter proceeded to full trial.
The court, taking into account his early guilty plea, clean prior record, and family support, backdated the sentence to February 27, 2025, when Ogbo was first remanded in custody. He has also been ordered to continue engaging with mental health and probation services upon release.
