Man who murdered his mother was involved in Garda chase and €7k drugs seizure six weeks before Elzbieta Piotrowska killing

A man who murdered his mother with an axe in Ardee two years ago was jailed for life at the Central Criminal Court.

Thirty-five-year old Tomasz Piotrowski, Cherrybrook, Ardee pleaded guilty to murdering Elzbieta Piotrowska (57) on 8th Jan 2019 in Clonmore Ardee.

The victim had been decapitated and stabbed and an axe and knives were found close to her remains.

The grim discovery was made by a neighbour who had called to bring Ms Piotrowski shopping.

The defendant was arrested within hours and detained at the Central Mental Hospital where he was initially deemed by a psychiatrist as unfit to be tried.

One consultant told a court hearing that Piotrowski held the delusional belief that the victim was not his real mother but a witch who used black magic to harm him.

However a later hearing was told that in a meeting with another consultant the defendant had agreed he had lied to psychiatrists so he would be diagnosed as suffering from schizophrenia and to get a lesser sentence.

Mr Justice Michael White subsequently ruled that Piotrowski was fit to stand trial and the defendant later pleaded guilty to the murder charge.

The court heard the defendant who was originally from Poland had come to Ireland in 2011. He had developed psychosis from drug abuse and his parents had paid €7k to clear a debt arising from his addiction.

In a victim impact statement the court was told the murder had a devastating effect on the dead woman's family. The murder was a tragedy that could not be explained understood or accepted by the family.

Mr Justice White described it as the most tragic of cases and imposed a mandatory life sentence.

Prior to his sentencing at the Central Criminal Court Piotrowski was sentenced at Trim Circuit Court arising from a garda chase six weeks before the murder.

Piotrowski pleaded guilty to charges of reckless endangerment on the Kilmoon-Drogheda road, dangerous driving at Donore Village and possession of cannabis for the purpose of sale or supply at Tullyallen on 23rd Nov 2018.

Garda Joe Lyons told Prosecutor Carl Hanahoe BL that he and a colleague had been operating a checkpoint at Cushenstown on that date when an approaching car did a u-turn and then drove off at speed towards Ashbourne.

The garda said he activated the blue lights and siren on the patrol car and stopped the other vehicle.

He said he got a smell of cannabis from the other car and when he indicated to the occupants his intention to search it two men got out.

Garda Lyons said he found a suitcase in the boot and as he was about to open it Piotrowski pushed by him and drove off while the garda was trying to grab the keys through the car window.

The defendant drove in the Drogheda direction dangerously overtaking and undertaking and narrowly avoiding collisions with other traffic on the busy road.

Once when boxed-in the car was reversed towards the garda car.

Eventually 35 minutes later the defendant was boxed in by another garda car after turning into a cul-de-sac and he was arrested following a struggle.

The court heard that cannabis with a street value of €6,932 was found in the suitcase and the defendant told gardai he had intended to make medicinal cannabis oil out of it.

Defence barrister Roderick O'Hanlon SC said his client panicked when he realised the cannabis would be detected and his actions had been spontaneous rather than premeditated.

Judge Patrick Quinn imposed a sentence of three years with the final 12 months suspended.