Husband of Meg fails to get her jewellery

MURDER victim Meg Walsh’s husband John O’Brien, who was last year cleared of killing her, failed in court yesterday to secure jewellery belonging to his dead wife.

Bus Éireann driver Mr O’Brien, aged 42, appealed to the court to try to force gardaí into giving him back Meg’s gold necklace – found on her dead body in a Waterford river two-and-a-half years ago.

A gold chain and a blood- soaked ring, found on Meg’s naked and lifeless body by passers-by at Meagher’s Quay on October 15, 2006, are among possessions sought by him.

A postmortem examination revealed that Ms Walsh died as a result of blunt force trauma to the head after numerous brutal blows from an object.

The items also include Meg’s blood-soaked silver 2001 Mitsubishi Carisma car, impounded by investigating gardaí after it was abandoned at the car park of the Uluru Bar following her “suspicious death”.

Other confiscated items include a black wallet and a Bank of Ireland bank card, which were taken by gardaí as part of their ongoing investigations.

Mr O’Brien originally made the application at the court to Judge John Lindsay last October – under the Police Property Act 1897.

Office worker Meg’s daughter from a previous marriage, Sasha Keating, 19, contested the claim at the District Court yesterday.

And gardaí maintain that the state needs the items as part of a “live investigation” into the murdered 35-year-old’s death.

Written submissions from Insp Pádraig Dunne, on behalf of the DPP; from Solicitor Finola Cronin, representing Mr O’Brien and from Jim Walsh, on behalf of Sasha, were handed into the court in April.

However, after a six-month wait, Mr O’Brien has still failed to get control of her personal belongings.

The items, still in storage and in the possession of gardaí, are vital as part of a “live investigation” into her unlawful killing, Inspector Padraig Dunne said in court yesterday.

Judge Lindsay said that it is “practical for the state” to retain the items. He ordered that the state retain the items for a further two years, while the matter will be brought before the court again in May 2011.

After the hearing yesterday, Sasha said: “Why does he want these items? They’re not of any financial value really.

“The items are of great sentimental value… it’s ridiculous; some of those items were my grandmothers. I don’t know why he’d want them.”

Meg’s brother James Walsh admitted that he thought Mr O’Brien’s request to have the items was “daring”.

Sasha added: “It’s unbelievable – there’s somebody that murdered my mother and they’re still walking the streets today … it’s very hard to cope with.

“Anything that helps the investigation is brilliant. I’m glad they [gardaí] got to keep what they wanted.”

Other items confiscated by gardaí but, by order of the courts yesterday must be returned to Mr O’Brien, include a Toshiba laptop, stained jeans, a newspaper and a shirt and shoes.

Mr O’Brien has already had his Mazda car returned to him.

Margaret “Meg” Walsh, 35, had gone missing since October 1, 2006, after a row at their home in 19 Dunavarra, Ballinakill Downs, Waterford, and she was found floating in a river just two weeks later.

Mr O’Brien had caught her kissing another man, Owen Walsh, at their home after they had been out drinking; it emerged during her murder trial at the Central Criminal Court in May 2008, which heard up to 120 witness accounts.

Mr O’Brien, who admitted to beating his wife under oath, was cleared of her murder.

He was not in court yesterday but after the hearing, a sister of his said “no comment” when asked about her brother.