Baby inquest jury expected to retire to consider ruling

The jury at the inquest into the death of a baby girl found in a plastic bag in a lane in Dun Laoghaire County Dublin in 1973 is expected to retire to consider its verdict today.

Cynthia Owen, who claims to be the baby's mother, has said she witnessed her own mother kill the baby and dispose of the body.

Over the past three days evidence has been given by Ms Owen, her family and friends, and members of the Gardaí.

At the opening of this inquest on Tuesday, the jury heard how a post mortem, carried out on the body of this baby girl revealed that she died as a result of over 40 stab wounds.

Cynthia Owen claims she became pregnant when she was eleven years of age after she was sexually abused by members of her family,

She also claims that her own mother, Josephine Murphy, who is now deceased, tried to drown her on the night she gave birth before stabbing her baby to death with a knitting needle.

In a statement given to Gardaí in 2005 Josephine Murphy denied these allegations.

Yesterday Cynthia's brother Peter Murphy Junior denied all of the allegations of sexual abuse.

Peter Murphy Snr will not be giving evidence as he has been deemed medically unfit.