Husband was having an affair at time of his wife’s murder

A DUBLIN businessman accused of murdering his wife had begun an extra-marital affair just months before his wife’s violent death at their luxury home in Howth, the Central Criminal Court heard yesterday.

The murder trial also heard the accused, Eamonn Lillis, 51, now admitted that he had made up a story to gardaí at the time of her death that they had both been attacked by a burglar at their home. Lillis has pleaded not guilty to the murder of his wife, Celine Cawley, 46, at their family home at Rowan Hill, Windgate Road, Howth, Co Dublin, on December 15, 2008.

Counsel for the defendant Brendan Grehan SC informed the court that Lillis now acknowledged he had lied to gardaí about the circumstances in which Ms Cawley had died. The court heard the couple, who ran a successful TV production company together, were alone in the house at the time of her death.

Lillis had originally claimed he had come across a masked burglar attacking his wife on the patio of their back garden with a brick as he returned home from walking the family’s two dogs.

“There was no intruder or other party there on the occasion which she suffered injuries resulting in her death,” Mr Grehan revealed yesterday.

The trial before a jury of six men and six women also heard Lillis had begun an affair with another woman, Jean Treacy, in the months before Ms Cawley’s death.

The relationship was described as “intimate and sexual” by counsel for the DPP, Mary Ellen Ring SC.

Outlining the prosecution’s case, Ms Ring said Ms Treacy will give evidence that Lillis had told her he and his wife had a row on the morning of her death in which both had suffered physical injuries.

The 52-year-old businessman had initially denied to gardaí he was having an affair but later admitted it, insisting it had no link to his wife’s death. The prosecution team said there would be evidence that gardaí discovered blood-stained clothing belonging to Lillis in a suitcase in the attic. Forensic tests had matched the blood with the victim’s DNA profile. Efforts had also been made to wipe blood stains off a watch owned by Lillis.

The first day of the trial also heard a dramatic recording of the 999 emergency call made by Lillis shortly after 10am on December 15, 2008, in which he gasped for breath to explain how he and his wife had been assaulted.

There were lengthy pauses during the 10-minute recording in which the accused was heard explaining he was unable to detect any breathing from his wife, despite attempts to resuscitate her.

Photos of the crime scene were shown which depicted a large area of patio covered in blood stains.

A blood-stained brick was shown close to the site where Ms Cawley had been found.

The trial will also hear medical evidence by the deputy state pathologist that Ms Cawley suffered three blows to the head, two of which were inflicted while she was lying on the ground.

Seven prosecution witnesses gave evidence yesterday, including the first garda to arrive at the family home. He said Lillis was “in shock” and “very unsteady on his feet”.

Another garda said it looked like the accused had facial injuries resulting from being hit with “a solid object”.