A young Wicklow man has been found not guilty of murdering his mother in June 2014 by reason of insanity.

Bijan Afshar, of Killarney Road in Bray, beat Lynn Cassidy to death with a coffee mug after she told him she couldn’t delay the sale of the family home.

Read: Man beat mother to death with a coffee mug in an ‘absolute rage’

The court heard their house was being sold and Bijan, who was 21 at the time, called over to his mother’s house to see if she could delay things.

Bijan was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome a few years beforehand and was struggling to deal with the move.

Following his arrest, he told gardaí he just lost control and pushed her against a wall.

Two psychiatrists agreed he met the criteria for the special verdict by virtue of the fact he wouldn’t have been able to refrain himself because of his condition.

The jury returned the special verdict after less than an hour of deliberations and he has been sent to the Central Mental Hospital for assessment.