Title: Guilty but insane : J.C. Bowen-Colthurst : villain or victim? /
Authors: Taylor, James W.,
Year: 2016
Subjects: Bowen-Colthurst, John Colthurst, Trials, litigation, etc.; Sheehy-Skeffington, Francis, Death and burial.; Murderers Ireland Biography.; Ireland History
Abstract: One of the most vilified figures to emerge from the events of 1916 in Ireland, Captain J. C. Bowen-Colthurst was responsible for the deaths of six unarmed civilians during the Rising, including, most famously, Francis Sheehy Skeffington. Court-martialled on a charge of murder, he was found guilty but insane, and served just eighteen months in Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum for his crimes. For many at the time, and since, his case has been held up as a prime example of the British administration's disdain for its Irish subjects. However, what is not well known is that Bowen-Colthurst had been invalided home from the Great War and was probably suffering from what is known today as post-traumatic stress syndrome. Using military records and previously unseen family papers, Guilty but Insane explores the life and actions of this controversial historical character and allows the reader to decide for themselves whether he was a villain or a victim of 1916. -- Back cover.