Jury hears how body was disposed of in manslaughter trial

The dead body of a 23-year-old Cork woman was placed in a black plastic bag with stones and thrown off a bridge at Kinsale never to be seen again, a jury was told today on the opening day of a manslaughter trial.

Timothy Joseph O'Driscoll (aged 46) of New Street, Macroom, County Cork, today denied the unlawful killing of Michelle McCormick on July 20 1993 and he also denied two related charges.

Senior counsel, John Edwards, said that Ms McCormick died after she was struck by her common-law husband, O’Driscoll, ten years ago.

He said that the accused had the couple’s 16-month-old daughter, Leona, sitting in the front of the car when he went to the boot to retrieve the bag containing Ms McCormick’s body and a quantity of stones in Dunnes Stores bags.

"He threw it over the railings and watched it float for a while towards Kinsale. It went under the water and he saw bubbles of air coming out of it. That was the last he saw of the bag containing the body of Michelle McCormick," Mr Edwards said.

He said the prosecution was based on some forensic evidence but mainly on confessions made by O’Driscoll to the gardai. The admissibility of the statements is to be challenged by the defence.

O’Driscoll also denies the charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm to Ms McCormick and thirdly, "acting in such a manner as to prevent the lawful burial of Michelle McCormick."

Mr Edwards said it was very unusual to bring a prosecution in a manslaughter case when the body of the deceased had not been found.

Outlining the prosecution case, Mr Edwards said, the defendant, also known as Tadgh O’Driscoll, lived with Michelle McCormack at Glenamoy Lawn, Mayfield Cork, from May or June 1991 and they had a daughter Fiona in March 1992.

The fact that Michelle McCormick was missing was not reported immediately to the gardai.

O’Driscoll was interviewed a number of times and ultimately made confessions to the gardai, according to Mr Edwards.

Judge Patrick J. Moran told the jury they would not be required until Monday at the earliest as legal argument had to take place in their absence.