Arry Noone was arrested at the home he shared with Margaret Una Noone’s 77-year-old mother, named Una, on Sunday morning. A court heard him tell police he had killed her and left a note saying he “could not take it anymore”. Postmortem examination showed neck compression as the cause of death. Police were called to the property on Ratheen Avenuein Cookstown shortly before 11 a.m. Sunday after two of Barry Noone’s friends sounded the alarm. Mrs. Noone’s body was discovered in an upstairs bedroom. She was lying on her back with her hands wrapped in rosaries. Barry Nun was discovered under a sheet in a second bedroom. He told police he had taken up to 30 of his mother’s Valium tablets and was not expecting to wake up. Appearing in Omagh’s court via video and wearing a gray sweatshirt, Noone spoke only to confirm his date of birth. A police detective said he could link the accused to the sole charge of murder. The officer said that on June 19, the ambulance service received a call from a man who said that Barry Noone’s friend had harmed his mother and had also taken an overdose. Shortly afterwards, police also received a call from Devonshire police stating that a man said he had received a suicide note from Barry’s friend, who was caring for his mother in Cookstown. He said Barry Nunn had mentioned in his letter that he had killed his mother and had taken an overdose. Officers in uniform were then called to the Noone family home on Ratheen Avenue. Police called the house and found that the blinds were closed and there was no answer at the door. They entered through the unlocked front door. The detective said: “There was a notebook on the corridor table, with a note saying ‘Don’t come in, call the police, I’m so sorry, Barry.’ “The police continued through the property,” the officer added. The policeman said that the police “approached a closed bedroom door, at the entrance they found a man lying on the bed under a sheet”. Police then entered another bedroom and noticed an elderly woman on her back. “Her hands were on her chest with her rosaries in her hands, there was no sign of life and the female was cold and stiff to the touch,” the police officer said. The man was identified as the son of the deceased. No one told police at the scene: “I killed her,” the court heard. A suicide note signed by Noone said he “could not take it anymore”, that he had been caring for his mother since April and was traumatized – “her crosses had become his crosses and he could no longer carry them”. . He was questioned in eight interviews, which were largely unanswered. A post-mortem examination showed that Ms. Noone had died from a compression of the neck with a fracture in her vocal cords and chest. Police opposed the bail because of Noone’s mental state, saying he had attempted suicide, was severely depressed and had suicidal thoughts and needed follow-up due to his fragile condition. A lawyer representing Noone said his client had “offered remorse and regret” and “cooperated on the scene”. He added that the accused also signed a consent form to allow police access to medical records and provided telephone numbers and pin codes. Noone’s sister and an uncle, a brother of the deceased, were willing to support him and give him a guarantee address, the court said. District Judge Bernie Kelly said he had a duty to promote life under Article 2 and that Noone would be on the lookout for suicide at Maghaberry. Many other family members listened to the short listening via the video link. Judge Kelly said: “Overall I will keep him for a psychiatric evaluation.” No one has committed to July 16 to reappear via video link.
