Meg Walsh told gardaí husband had assaulted her

A woman whose husband is on trial for her murder made a complaint to gardaí about him less than two weeks before her disappearance a Central Criminal Court jury has heard.

Sergeant Eric Gavigan told prosecuting counsel Mr Denis Vaughan Buckley that Meg Walsh called in to Waterford Garda Station on September 22nd 2006 and informed him that her husband had assaulted her two days before hand.

Bus driver, John O’Brien (aged 41), with an address in Ballinakill Downs, Co Waterford denies murdering the 35-year-old mother of one on a date between 1st October 2006 and 15 October 2006.

Garda Gavigan told Mr Buckley that Ms Walsh refused to take the matter further at that time.

The jury had previously heard from Dr Bernadette O’Leary who said that Ms Walsh came to her surgery on the 22nd with bruising and swelling to the backs of both hands and also to her right shoulder. Dr O'Leary said she advised her to go to the gardaí.

Mr Gerard O’Herlihy, a solicitor with Nolan, Farrell & Gough Solicitors told Mr Buckley Ms Walsh came to see him on September 25, 2006. On her instruction he sent a letter to the accused alleging that he had assaulted her on September 20.

Three days later, on September 28, he sent a letter to the manager of Bank of Ireland, enclosing a form of authority to the title deeds of the house signed by both Ms Walsh and Mr O’Brien.

This form was to transfer the house from joint ownership into Ms Walsh’s name only.

Mr Michael Lauhoff told Mr Buckley that he had known Meg Walsh through his dealings with Meadowcourt Homes, where she worked as office administrator, while he was a bank manager with Bank of Ireland in Waterford.

He said he had moved branch in September 2006 but he received a call from Ms Walsh on the 26. She asked him what would be required to transfer the title deeds of the house in Ballinakill Downs into her name.

He sent her out the relevant forms and she rang him again on Friday September 29 to say that the forms had been filled in and were in the post. Mr Lauhoff said he subsequently received the forms but by that time Ms Walsh had been reported missing.

The jury also that Ms Walsh had made similar arrangements in regard to life insurance. Ms Barbara Drohan told Mr Dominic McGinn BL, prosecuting, that she worked for the firm of accountants who handled Meadowcourt Homes’ accounts.

She said she received a call from Ms Walsh on September 27 asking her for a statement of earnings.

The following day Ms Walsh rang again to ask if the document was ready. Ms Drohan said she typed it up that day and Ms Walsh came to the offices to collect it.

The jury also watched video footage showing Ms Walsh’s silver Mitsubishi Charisma being left in the carpark of the Uluru Pub in Waterford City.

Garda Alan White told Mr McGinn who told him that he found the car parked in the back of the car park at around 1.15 am on October 4.

He said the car could be seen driving into a space at the back of the car park. After a few seconds someone could be seen getting out of the drivers door and a few seconds later the hazard lights flashed twice.

He agreed with defence counsel Mr Paddy McCarthy that the quality of the footage was not good enough to see whether there were one or two people in the car or whether they were male or female.

Mr Sebastian Danhel told Mr Buckley he had worked as a delivery driver for Godfather’s Pizza situated near the Uluru Bar. He said on October 2rd he saw a silver Mitsubishi Charisma parked in the car park between 5 and 6pm.

He said he noticed the make of car particularly because he had bought a Charisma two days previously.

He noticed the car again at around 8 o’clock. It had moved. This time he noticed somebody was in the car. He told Mr Buckley he saw a man sitting in the driver’s seat. He appeared to be looking for something on the passenger seat.

He noticed the car again shortly after 10am in a third position. This was the position the car remained in until it was found.

Mr Owen Walsh, who returned to the stand for the third day, told Mr Buckley that he had never been in Meg Walsh’s car. He had never driven her car or had anything whatsoever to do with her disappearance.

In his previous evidence Mr Walsh said that he had kissed Meg on the Saturday night after a night of drinking.

His wife, Ms Carmel Walsh told Mr McGinn that she had been away visiting relatives on the weekend of September 30 and October 1.

When she arrived home at about 5.45pm on the Sunday evening, she found her husband still in bed. He was “hung over and tired”. She said she did not notice anything unusual on October 2nd and 3rd and been working from home as usual. Her husband had been at home with her until he left for work at about 5pm.

Ms Ann Geraghty told Mr Buckley that she lived next door to Meg Walsh and John O’Brien. On October 2 she noticed that there was laundry hung on the washing line at the back of the house; a pair of chinos and several men’s shirts.

She told Mr McCarthy that she particularly noticed the laundry since she “has a thing about clothes lines in the garden."

She agreed that she had never noticed anything suspicious about the house next door in the 18 months she had lived there.

Inspector Padraig Dunne told Mr Buckley that he had been appointed family liaison officer for the O’Brien and Walsh families.

On September 18 he went to meet the accused at his sister’s house. Mr O’Brien showed him a copy of the Munster Expresss which carried a story about the investigation.

He asked if gardaí had copies of CCTV footage from the Uluru carpark and whether it would be possible to identify the driver of the car from this footage.

Detective Garda Gerry Whelan told Mr Buckley that he and his colleague Detective Garda Kevin Nolan went to meet Mr O’Brien on October 2 after his wife had been reported missing.

Bringing a relief driver with them they met Mr O’Brien on his route. Det. Gda Whelan said he informed Mr O’Brien that gardaí needed to take a witness statement from him.

He said the accused was “very nervous". “He was sweating a lot. He kept trying to wet his lips with his tongue but his mouth was too dry.”

On the journey to his house Mr O’Brien continued to be very anxious and nervous. He told gardaí he did not know where his wife was but that she had gone off before and stayed in Jury’s Hotel for the night before returning home.

Det. Gda Whelan said when they arrived at the house he and his colleague had a look around the house. There was a bin outside the back door. Beside it was a piece of rolled up carpet.

There was also a garden shed which appeared locked. Mr O’Brien produced a large bunch of keys but his hand was shaking so much he couldn’t get the key into the lock.

When he finally succeeded he couldn’t get the key open so he “got a bit aggressive” to get it to open.

Det. Gda Whelan said he noticed there was wet clothing on the washing line. He went back inside to the utility room and was standing by the washing machine. “John became very anxious as I was standing there. I got the impression he didn’t want me standing there.”

Mr O’Brien agreed to give gardaí a formal statement. He told gardaí he got home from work on the Saturday at around 7 pm. They had arranged to go out that night and Meg told him that her friend Eoin O’Regan was coming round to the house.

He said that he went upstairs to get ready. When he came back down Meg and Mr O’Regan were drinking champagne together in the kitchen. The three were drinking together for around fifteen minutes before walking to the Woodlands Hotel.

There they met up with the usual crowd and stayed until about 3.30pm. He said Meg suggested that Owen Walsh come back with them to continue drinking.

Mr O’Brien said they finished drinking at around 5 am and Meg suggested that Mr Walsh stay the night. He said he went back downstairs to turn out the lights and when he came back up, the door to the spare room was closed.

“Meg and Owen had their arms around each other kissing. I said what the f*** is going on? Owen started apologising.”

Mr O’Brien said he ordered Mr Walsh out of the house. When he had gone he asked Meg why she had kissed him. She replied “If you paid me more attention. I told her I did pay her more attention.”

They couple slept in separate bedrooms that night.

Mr O’Brien said the next day he got up around 1 p.m. Meg was still asleep so he went out in the car and came home about 5 p.m. Meg was watching television. He said he asked her again why she had kissed Mr Walsh. “She told me I drove her to it.”

He said he went upstairs to watch television in the bedroom. He heard Meg moving around the house and heard her leave at around 8.30 p.m. He heard her car start and drive off. He had not seen her since.

Det. Gda Whelan said that the next day, October 3rd, he went to Mr O’Brien’s house to look for Meg’s passport. Mr O’Brien met them at the door.

“He was very anxious and nervous.”

He said he had searched every corner of the house for Meg’s passport but had not been able to find it. He agreed to allow gardaí to search the house.

Det. Gda Whelan said that he found Meg’s passport after about twenty minutes of searching, in the top drawer of her bedside locker hidden under some underwear.

Det. Gda Nolan told Mr McGinn that Mr O’Brien did not once ask how the investigation was going or enquired if gardaí had spoken to his wife. He also offered no help whatsoever to gardai throughout the investigation.

The trial continues tomorrow before Mr Justice Barry White and the jury of seven men and five women. It is expected to last three weeks.