Jury discharged after judge falls ill

The jury in the murder trial of a 42-year-old Louth man has been discharged after the presiding judge fell ill after the first day of the case.

It was decided today that Mr Justice Andrias O’Caoimh will now take over the trial from Mr Justice Diarmuid O’Donovan. The trial was adjourned until next Monday when a fresh panel of twelve jurists will be sworn in before Mr Justice O’Caoimh.

The accused man yesterday denied the murder of a 28-year-old German tourist at Dunore, Co Meath on an unknown date between September 25 and October 17, 2001. Originally from Munich, journalist Ms Bettina Poeschel had only arrived in Ireland five days before her death.

She had planned to visit Newgrange and was last seen alive walking alone on a road near Dunore at 11.05am on Tuesday September 25, 2001. After an extensive garda search operation her badly decomposed body was found lying naked from the waist down in dense undergrowth some three weeks after her disappearance.

Her parents and sister have travelled over from Germany for the trial and were present in court today.