Four days prior to stabbing an elderly couple to death in County Armagh, a double murderer told police about his demonic hallucinations, according to evidence presented at an inquest.
Michael and Marjorie Cawdery were killed by Thomas Scott McEntee in May 2017. McEntee had a history of mental health problems.
McEntee was taken to a Belfast hospital by police for a mental health evaluation four days prior to the murder.
An officer testified at the inquest that he had alerted hospital staff to McEntee's potential danger to others.
He claimed in his testimony to have strongly advocated to medical personnel that the patient be institutionalized (or sectioned) in accordance with mental health laws.
The officer claimed he was "shocked" that, despite his attempts to express his worries about McEntee's "disturbing" conversations in the waiting room and his violent criminal past, doctors released him from Belfast's Mater Hospital within a short period of time.
I told you I wasn't crazy, McEntee allegedly said to the police officer as he was being released from the mental health evaluation. ".
The patient continued to act in an unsettling manner in the days that followed, and on May 26, 2017, he killed the Cawderys in their Portadown home.
McEntee entered a plea of guilty to their manslaughter in 2018 and is now incarcerated on a life sentence with a minimum of 10 years.
McEntee's interactions with police and medical personnel prior to the fatal stabbings are being investigated by the inquest into Mr. and Mrs. Cawdery's deaths.
On the second day of hearings, a constable from the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) was one of the witnesses called.
He testified in court that he had been a member of the PSNI for roughly 18 months prior to his deployment to support McEntee at the Mater Hospital on May 22, 2017.
The patient, who earlier that day told PSNI officers he was being pursued by a cult, had voluntarily agreed to undergo a mental health assessment.
The constable testified during the inquest that he was sent to the Mater at around 15:00 BST to replace PSNI coworkers who were finishing their shifts at the hospital.
The witness claimed that when he first encountered McEntee in a building's open waiting area, the man was "calm, quiet, and compliant.".
McEntee started to talk and open up as time went on, though.
The court was informed that their discussion eventually turned to angels, demons, and spiritual issues.
A "rap-style poem" with sinister overtones was recited by the patient to officers, according to the constable's memory.
The officer testified in court that McEntee's words disturbed him, and that this made him "very concerned" about his mental state.
He said, "My fear was that he would hurt others.".
According to the officer, he raised his concerns about the patient with hospital staff.
Additionally, he remembered informing the medical staff about McEntee's criminal history, which he claimed included the use of weapons during robberies and break-ins.
But according to her, the medical staff "seemed dismissive of my opinion.".
McEntee was released from the hospital after a brief mental health evaluation with the intention of receiving follow-up care from his GP.
McEntee was brought to the hospital the morning of the stabbings for a second mental health evaluation while being escorted by police, but he later left the establishment and broke into the Cawderys' nearby home.
Much of the discussion during the first two days of the inquest has centered on when police should use their authority to detain people and transport them to a "place of safety" under mental health laws.
McEntee was stopped by police on May 22 in Belfast, where they say he wasn't acting violently and cooperated when they asked him to go to the hospital on his own volition.
They claimed that they chose not to use their authority to place him in custody because they believed it was unnecessary at that point.
Due to concerns over a document that was provided to the inquest after its scheduled delivery date, the hearing on Wednesday was adjourned earlier than expected.
When there are questions about who will be in charge of a patient's future care, the "joint protocol" document is a form that is typically filled out by police and medical personnel to help them share information about a patient.
On Wednesday morning, an unsigned form that was filled out by police who were present at the Mater Hospital on May 22, 2017, but not by hospital personnel, was brought to the inquest.
The coroner got up early and gave the police and health trust a deadline to respond to her questions about the document after some legal counsel expressed concerns about the timing of the disclosure.
