Former lover recounts affair with O’Reilly
He also slept over at Nikki Pelley’s house at least once and sometimes twice a week, telling Rachel that he would be working late and would stay over at the office.
Ms Pelley gave details about the extent of her relationship with O’Reilly at the Central Criminal Court yesterday where O’Reilly is on trial for the murder of Rachel at their home at Lambay View, Baldarragh, the Naul, Co Dublin, on October 4, 2004. He denies the charge.
Taking the witness stand for the first time yesterday, Ms Pelley, of Ballyroan Road, Rathfarnham in Dublin, said O’Reilly had told her that he and Rachel were effectively separated for a year-and-a-half and had separate bedrooms.
She said she met O’Reilly, a former work colleague, at a work-related function in the Barge pub in Portobello, Dublin, in January 2004. They got talking and kept in contact afterwards.
“We emailed jokes and texts, that kind of thing,” she said.
About a month later, they met for lunch in the Templeogue Inn in Dublin and lunched together two or three times more before going to the cinema together at the Liffey Valley shopping centre and then making regular lunch dates.
She said she started a relationship with O’Reilly in April or May. Asked by counsel for the prosecution, Denis Vaughan Buckley SC, what type of relationship they had, she replied: “A sexual one.”
She said they met three or four times a week after that, mainly in her house, and always on Tuesdays and Saturdays.
On Tuesday nights, O’Reilly would sometimes come over straight from work and sometimes after softball but he would usually stay over and then he began to stay the night on occasional Saturdays as well.
She said she didn’t know what excuse O’Reilly gave his wife when he went down to Wexford with her (Pelley) for a couple of days and she didn’t know where Rachel was on an occasion when she stayed over with O’Reilly at his home at Baldarragh.
“He told me that he had effectively separated about a year-and-a-half before I met him,” she continued. “He said they had separate bedrooms.”
Ms Pelley said she often met O’Reilly on Saturday afternoons, sometimes with his two young sons who they would take to the zoo. Asked how O’Reilly introduced her to his sons, she said: “As Nikki.”
Ms Pelley was asked about a phone conversation she had with O’Reilly on Sunday night, October 3, 2004, the night before Rachel was murdered and another one first thing on Monday morning, October 4, the day of the murder. She said he had nothing of note to tell her and he did not speak about discussions between him and Rachel.
She was aware of arguments between O’Reilly and his wife, but said she thought they were “routine” rather than serious. However, she said that after arguments, O’Reilly would refer to his wife as “wasp” or “c**t”.
Asked if she and O’Reilly ever discussed their future, she replied: “We talked about it, yes. We talked about the future, being together.” Asked if that meant being together permanently, she said it did.
She said O’Reilly had talked about the custody of his sons: “He would have preferred to have custody if possible but he would have settled for joint custody.”
She admitted that O’Reilly stayed with her the night of October 22, 2004, after he had left the Late, Late Show studio where he appeared with Rachel’s mother, Rose Callaly, to make an appeal for help with the murder investigation. Ms Pelley said she only heard that Rachel was dead when she rang O’Reilly at 3.15pm or 3.30pm that day. “He said Rachel was dead, he was with the police and ‘I will talk to you later’,” she said.
The court heard voicemail messages left on Rachel’s mobile phone, mainly by O’Reilly, on the day she died. The last one, timed at 1.45pm as O’Reilly was driving home, said: “Please ring me. I’ve been crying. You have me worried. If you. I don’t know. Talk to me please.”
He had also sent her a text message that morning, at 10.07am, in which he said: “You and the boys sleep OK? Wish Jackie happy birthday from us please. XX.”
A month later, he left a last voicemail on Rachel’s phone: “Hiya Rach, It’s Joe. I’m really sorry for the very early phone call. This time exactly a month ago, at 8.25am, you were probably doing what I’m doing now, which is getting the kids ready for school. It was a sunny morning but now you are so cold. The sun was out, it was a normal day but you had less than two hours to live. I wish I could go back in time and say I love you but I can’t. Goodbye. I miss you. I don’t want to live without you and that’s the truth. Sleep well, rest in peace. I have got to go and get the boys into the car now. I have to get them dressed first. Good morning sweetheart, I miss you and love you. Chat to you later. Goodbye.” Voicemails left on Rachel O’Reilly’s mobile phone the day of her murder From Joe O’Reilly, 11.52am Hiya. It’s just 12 o’clock. I’m ringing to see where you are. Obviously, you are in Jackie’s chewing the fat and not listening to your mobile. Give me a shout. Let me know how your morning is, the usual sort of stuff. OK, good luck and don’t forget to wish Jackie a happy birthday for me. OK, bye.
It’s just approaching five to one now. Just giving you a ring to see are you on the way. Is everything OK? All right, talk to you soon. Bye.
Hi Rach, it’s only me. I just got a call from Helen at the Montessori. You haven’t picked up Adam. Was Sarah meant to pick him up or something? No doubt you’ve left your phone at home or in the back of the car or something. I’m going to try ringing you at home. Helen has to go and pick up her own kids so if you get there and she isn’t there, don’t panic, she has Adam. I’m on the way anyway just in case. I’ll try the home number. OK, thank you, bye.
Rach, it’s Joe. I tried your number don’t know how many times and the home number’s not answering. You’re not at Jackie’s and not at your mother’s. I’m now really, really worried about you. Will you please call me. This isn’t funny. This isn’t like you. I’m actually worried now. Please give me a call.
Rachel, it’s Mam. It’s 1.40pm. Will you ring me back as soon as possible please?
It’s me again. I’m just coming on to the M1 from the M50 now. I’ve just spoken to your mother. She’s going to pop on out. Please ring me. I’ve been crying. You have me worried. If you... I don’t know. Talk to me please.
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