Wednesday 28 October 2026Compiled from published reports. Every claim links to its source.

Ireland Crime

Every case followed from the first report to the sentence, or to where the reporting stopped.

Case No. 4316Murder · Co. Westmeath · 24 Oct 2022

Man found not guilty by reason of insanity for stabbing father 18 times in Westmeath

Ross O'Rourke (31), with a previous address in Tullow, Co Carlow, was charged with the murder of his father, Stefan Nivelles Posschier (65), a Belgium-born fortune teller, at the father's home in Kinnegad, Co Westmeath, between 24 and 25 October 2022. O'Rourke pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, and a jury at the Central Criminal Court returned a unanimous verdict of not guilty of murder by reason of insanity after 29 minutes. The verdict was returned on 15 December 2025, and Mr Justice Paul McDermott exempted the jury from further service for five years. The articles do not report a sentence.

  1. Reportednot reported
  2. Arrestednot reported
  3. Chargednot reported
  4. In courtnot reported
  5. Acquitted15 Dec
    2 reports
  6. Sentenced
reportedhappened, not reportedlatest stagenot yet

Key facts

consolidated from all reports
What happened
  • Ross O'Rourke stabbed his father 18 times and severed his jugular vein.
  • The victim is named as Stefan Nivelles Posschier or Stefan Nivelle Posschier, a 65-year-old Belgium-born fortune teller who witnesses described as placid, friendly, soft-hearted and having a heart of gold.
  • After the killing, O'Rourke drove to a hospital and told his grandmother he had killed her son.
  • The body was found under a tarpaulin held down with bricks, and O'Rourke had placed weights on it because he believed he was preventing his father from rising from the dead.
Where
The killing took place at the deceased's home in Kinnegad, Co Westmeath.
When
The killing occurred between 24 and 25 October 2022.
Weapon
Gardaí found a blood-stained knife in a ceramic jar on top of a kitchen shelf.
Cause
  • O'Rourke developed a delusion that his father was mixed up with criminals and the IRA and posed a threat to his life, and he also believed his father had given him coded messages saying he wished to die.
  • The killing occurred during a psychotic episode, and both prosecution and defence psychiatrists agreed he was suffering from a schizophrenic mental disorder at the time, although Dr Ronan Mullaney diagnosed a schizo-affective disorder.
  • Dr Anthony Kearns said O'Rourke sincerely believed he was using the knife to save his life.
Other details
  • O'Rourke had been treated at the Central Mental Hospital for two years with only partial improvement, and it took eight months to reach a point where staff were satisfied to remove him from the high security unit.
  • O'Rourke was forcibly detained by police at Schiphol Airport and committed to a psychiatric hospital in Amsterdam.
Charges
O'Rourke was charged in relation to his father's death and had pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to murder, and both psychiatrists agreed he met the criteria for the special verdict under the Criminal Law (Insanity) Act 2006.
In court
  • The trial was heard at the Central Criminal Court, where a jury of five men and seven women returned a unanimous verdict of not guilty of murder by reason of insanity after 29 minutes on Monday 15 December 2025.
  • Mr Justice Paul McDermott exempted the jury from further service for five years.
Sentence
The articles do not report a sentence.
27 statements extracted from the articles
  • whatO'Rourke stabbed his father 18 times and severed his jugular vein (irishmirror.ie)
  • whatO'Rourke had been treated at the Central Mental Hospital for two years with only partial improvement (irishmirror.ie)
  • whatIt took eight months to get O'Rourke to a position where staff were satisfied to remove him from the high security unit (irishmirror.ie)
  • whatAfter the killing, O'Rourke drove to a hospital and told his grandmother he had killed her son (irishmirror.ie)
  • whatO'Rourke placed weights on the body believing he was preventing his father from rising from the dead (irishmirror.ie)
  • whatThe body was found under tarpaulin held down with bricks (irishmirror.ie)
  • whatGardaí found a blood-stained knife in a ceramic jar on top of a kitchen shelf (irishmirror.ie)
  • whatMr Posschier assisted in the care of his elderly mother Ann Kingston (irishmirror.ie)
  • whatO'Rourke was committed to a psychiatric hospital in Amsterdam after being forcibly detained by police at Schiphol Airport (irishmirror.ie)
  • whatO'Rourke severed his father's jugular vein (irishtimes.com)
  • whereThe killing took place at the deceased's home in Kinnegad, Co. Westmeath (irishmirror.ie)
  • whenThe incident occurred between 24 and 25 October 2022 (irishmirror.ie, irishtimes.com)
  • causeO'Rourke developed a delusion that his father was mixed up with criminals and the IRA and posed a threat to his life (irishmirror.ie)
  • causeO'Rourke also believed his father had given him coded messages saying he wished to die (irishmirror.ie)
  • causeBoth prosecution and defence psychiatrists agreed O'Rourke was suffering from a schizophrenic mental disorder at the time of the killing (irishmirror.ie)
  • causeDr Ronan Mullaney diagnosed O'Rourke with a schizo-affective disorder (irishmirror.ie)
  • causeDr Anthony Kearns said O'Rourke's sincere belief was that he was using the knife to save his life (irishmirror.ie)
  • causeThe killing occurred during a psychotic episode (irishtimes.com)
  • causeHe also believed his father had given him coded messages saying he wished to die (irishtimes.com)
  • causeHis sincere belief was that he was using the knife to save his life (irishtimes.com)
  • chargeHe met the criteria for the special verdict under the Criminal Law (Insanity) Act 2006 (irishtimes.com)
  • courtThe trial was heard at the Central Criminal Court (irishmirror.ie, irishtimes.com)
  • courtThe jury of five men and seven women took 29 minutes to return their unanimous verdict (irishmirror.ie)
  • courtMr Justice Paul McDermott exempted the jury from further service for five years (irishmirror.ie, irishtimes.com)
  • courtThe jury consisted of five men and seven women (irishtimes.com)
  • courtThe jury took 29 minutes to return their unanimous verdict (irishtimes.com)
  • otherWitnesses described the victim as placid, friendly, soft-hearted and as having a heart of gold (irishtimes.com)

The reporting

newest first
  1. 15 Dec2025
    Acquittedirishtimes.com, first report
    Man who stabbed father to death during psychotic episode not guilty by reason of insanity

    Reports the jury's unanimous verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity, psychiatric evidence from both sides, the judge's comments, and details of the delusions that led to the killing.

    victim, Stefan Nivelles Posschier, 65, male, non-irish (judged from name)Stefan Nivelles Posschieraccused, 31, male, irish (judged from name)
  2. 15 Dec2025
    Acquittedirishmirror.ie, follow-up
    Man who stabbed father 18 times not guilty of murder by reason of insanity

    Jury of five men and seven women returned a unanimous verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity after 29 minutes. Mr Justice Paul McDermott exempted the jury from further service for five years. Both psychiatrists agreed O'Rourke met the criteria under the Criminal Law (Insanity) Act 2006.

    victim, Stefan Nivelle Posschier, 65, male, non-irish (judged from name)Stefan Nivelle Posschieraccused, Ross O'Rourke, 31, male, named, irish (judged from name)Ross O'Rourke