A medical expert has told the Central Criminal Court that a woman accused of murdering her daughter was suffering from a mental disorder at the time.
The woman, who can't be named by court order, told psychiatrists that she killed her after becoming obsessed that she had a certain type of autism.
The woman has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.
The court heard the toddler was being assessed in early 2018 after childcare workers raised concerns that she was showing signs of autism.
Her mother researched her symptoms online and became obsessed that she was suffering from Pathological Demand Avoidance or PDA.
On February 10th last year, she suffocated the toddler with a pillow.
The woman told gardaí she began thinking about killing her a few days beforehand and even Googled ways of doing it.
When asked why, she said she didn't think she’d be able to give her the life she deserved, but she said she was sorry.
A consultant forensic psychiatrist outlined her history with depression and said she was of the view that the woman lost touch with reality on the day in question, and was suffering from a severe depressive episode with psychotic symptoms when she killed her daughter.
She concluded that she did fulfil the criteria for the special verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity.
The trial will continue tomorrow.
