Murder accused told gardaí ‘it was accident’

A MAN accused of murdering a woman whose body was found in the boot of a car told gardaí it was an “accident” when he was charged.

Bernard Curran, aged 52, was charged yesterday with the murder of Helen Donegan, a 30-year-old mother whose badly decomposed remains were discovered in a lock-up in west Dublin last Tuesday.

Ms Donegan, who had been missing for up to seven weeks, could only be formally identified through a dental examination.

A postmortem showed she had died from a shotgun blast to her chest.

Mr Curran sat head bowed, clutching a grey hoodie top and some paperwork, during yesterday’s short hearing at Blanchardstown District Court.

Detective Sergeant Declan Dunne of Clondalkin Garda Station gave evidence of arrest, charge and caution to Judge Patrick McMahon.

He told the court that he arrested the accused at Clondalkin Station shortly after 7pm on Sunday.

He said Mr Curran was then charged with murder by Sergeant Gwen McKenna. He said Mr Curran replied when charged: “I don’t know what to say. I suppose, just, it was an accident. It was not intentional.”

Mr Curran, wearing a blue buttoned polo-shirt, blue jeans and black shoes, only looked up briefly.

Originally from Newcastle, west Dublin, he is currently of no fixed abode.

Det Sgt Dunne applied for the accused to be remanded in custody to Cloverhill Prison.

There was no objection and Judge McMahon set a date for this Thursday at Cloverhill District Court.

Mr Curran’s defence made an application that both a psychiatric and psychological report be carried out.

There was no objection by gardaí and the court made the order.

Judge McMahon also granted an application for free legal aid for the accused, after there was no objection by gardaí.

Gardaí set up an investigation after Ms Donegan was reported missing in early May. She had been last seen at her home in St Patrick’s Park, Celbridge, Co Kildare.

Originally from Ballyfermot, south west Dublin, Ms Donegan, a mother of a 12-year-old son, moved to the Celbridge estate last September.

Garda inquiries led them to a car lock-up in at Kilmactalway, off Aylmer Road in Newcastle last Tuesday, where they discovered remains in the boot of a car.