A 36-year-old Man - Who Has Been Charged With The Murder Of A Fellow Patient At A Waterford Psychiatric Hospital - Has Been Further Remanded In Custody.

A 36-year-old man - who has been charged with the murder of a fellow patient at a Waterford psychiatric hospital - has been further remanded in custody.

55-year-old Maria O'Brien died from injuries she sustained during an incident at St Otteran's on Friday night. Paul Cuddihy was charged with murder and remanded in custody following a special sitting of Waterford District Court on Sunday evening. Mr Cuddihy was due to appear again this morning however he was not present in court for the hearing due to illness. Judge Kevin Staunton remanded Mr Cuddihy to the Central Mental Hospital in Dundrum to appear before Waterford District Court again on September 23rd. Meanwhile an Indepedent TD has criticised the decision to transfer mental health services from Wexford to Waterford and Wicklow. John Halligan says Waterford can not deal with the extra pressure being put on services in the county following the closure of St. Senan's Hospital in Enniscorthy. The Waterford Deputy says there was a unit planned for Wexford but that the plans were scrapped by the current government. He says not enough staff have been put in place to deal with the extra demand.