A FORMER Tyrone GAA star jailed for shooting dead his father has won legal permission to challenge an alleged failure to provide medical treatment for his delusional disorder.
Lawyers for Sean Hackett claim prison authorities have not complied with a court recommendation that he should receive appropriate psychotherapy.
Granting leave to seek a judicial review against both the Department of Justice and the South Eastern Trust, Mr Justice Maguire said on Tuesday: "I'm not minded to leave this man stranded."
Hackett (21) is currently serving a minimum seven-year sentence for the manslaughter of his father Aloysius in January 2013.
Aloysius Hackett, a former chairman of St Macartan's GAC in Augher, was shot dead in the driveway of the family home near Augher, Co Tyrone.
His son Sean, who previously captained the Tyrone Minor GAA team, admitted carrying out the shooting but consistently denied murder.
At his trial it was set out how he had suffered depression in the preceding months, triggered by a split from his girlfriend.
In September last year he won his appeal against the original sentence of 10 years behind bars.
Up to five psychiatrists backed the view that Hackett may have been suffering from a delusional disorder at the time of the shooting and continues to do so.
The Court of Appeal accepted new evidence that his ability to form a rational judgment had been significantly impaired.
At the time Lord Chief Justice Sir Declan Morgan identified a compelling need for Hackett to receive appropriate psychotherapy.
However, his lawyers claim nothing has been done to implement those recommendations.
The case will now proceed to a full hearing later this year.
