Sentencing of a transgender woman who threatened to torture, rape and kill her mother, was today adjourned for a second time as a pre-sentencing psychological report on the defendant was not available.
Limerick Circuit Court Judge, Tom O’Donnell, presiding, has previously described a finalised probation report on the accused, Barbie Kardashian, as “deeply disturbing”.
Kardashian’s barrister Mark Nicholas told the first sentencing hearing last July that Kardashian was being assessed for a “complex psychological issue” and that the report was not finalised.
Judge O’Donnell told the July hearing that he considered the finalised probation report as “very serious” and “deeply disturbing” and that he expected that a finalised psychological report would be made available to the court within seven weeks.
However, on Monday, Judge O’Donnell was informed by prosecuting counsel, John O’Sullivan, BL, that the psychological report was not yet available and Mr O’Sullivan advised the judge that sentencing could not proceed without it.
Born a male, Kardashian is being held in custody at the female wing of Limerick Prison, as she was previously granted a certificate from the Department of Social Protection recognising her gender as female.
Threats to kill
Of no fixed address, Kardashian was convicted by a jury last May of seven counts of threatening to kill her mother, Maria Luque, on dates in 2020.
The 20-year-old was found not guilty of four other counts, of threatening to kill Michael Mannix, a social care worker, between 2019 and 2020.
All of the threats were made when Kardashian was a resident at Coovagh House, a secure unit for 11-17 year olds with severe psychological issues, the jury heard.
During the four-day trial, Mr Nicholas said he accepted that Kardashian told Coovagh House staff, during a planned meeting to discuss her impending discharge into the community, that she was planning on travelling to her mother’s house to overpower her, and torture her with a knife, a screwdriver and boiling water.
Kardashian told senior staff that she planned to only leave her mother’s house once she was satisfied she had left her to “bleed out”, and she would make sure to check her mother’s pulse to ensure she was dead.
Mr Nicholas argued however, that Kardashian’s threats were simply “fantasy” and that her former social care workers did not immediately alert gardaí about the threats because they had thought “ah sure, that was just Barbie”, as she had been diagnosed with a “narcissistic personality disorder”.
Coovagh staff, including Michael Mannix, agreed under cross-examination that Kardashian often engaged in “shock behaviour” in order “to get attention”.
Kardashian had experienced a “horrible” life, and had been in State care since she was 10 years old, said Mr Nicholas.
In his sum up to the jury, Mr Nicolas said there had been an “absence of alarm” in Coovagh House, until it was time for Kardashian to be released into the community, almost two years after she made the first alleged threat to kill Mr Mannix.
There were only 15 available beds within the State for minors who were considered a risk of being a danger to themselves or to others, Mr Nicholas told the court.
On Monday, Judge O’Donnell remanded Kardashian in continuing custody in the female section of Limerick Prison for sentencing on March 16th, 2023 when it is anticipated the psychological report will have been made available to the court.
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can freephone the Samaritans 24 hours a day for confidential support at 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org.
Alternatively, the contact information for a range of mental health supports is available at mentalhealthireland.ie/get-support.
The national Rape Crisis Helpline 1800-77-8888 is available 24-hours a day.
In the case of an emergency, or if you or someone you know is at risk of suicide or self-harm, dial 999/112.
