Records show call between phones of Melissa and accused, court hears

The jury in the Melissa Mahon murder trial has heard that there was contact between the accused's mobile phone and the girl's mobile on the day she went missing from the care of the Health Service Executive.

Memos of gardaí interviewing Ronald McManus were read into evidence by the prosecution on the 20th day of the trial.

In the interview it was put to Mr McManus that Melissa was in mobile phone contact with him six times on the morning of her disappearance.

Mr McManus told Detective Sergeant Peter Kelly during his arrest and detention in Sligo garda station in April 2008 that he was not in touch with the Melissa and that his daughter Samantha may have had, or stolen, his phone.

Mr McManus (aged 44), also known as Ronnie Dunbar, of Rathbraughan Park, Sligo, has pleaded not guilty at the Central Criminal Court to murdering 14 year-old Ms Mahon in September 2006. He also denies threatening to kill one of his daughters Samantha Conroy.

Det Sgt. Kelly said there was a series of mobile phone communications between Melissa’s phone and the accused man’s phone on the morning of September 14, 2006 - the date she was reported missing - but the accused denied that he made or received them.

He was asked if his daughter Sam used drugs and replied: “Yes, for a fact”. He was then asked if he loved his daughter and replied: “No”.

Mr McManus agreed during the interview that he had gone to the Sligo Weekender newspaper. He said he had done so because of the number of articles that had been published about him in the media, especially the Sunday World.

He denied that he killed Melissa and while he refused to comment on the detail of the statement made by his daughter he described it as “a fairytale” and said it contained truths and lies.

Detective Inspector John O’Reilly told Isobel Kennedy SC, prosecuting, that Mr McManus was arrested on April 10, 2008 and charged with the murder of Melissa the following day.

He told Brendan Grehan SC, defending, that Mr McManus was taken from Sligo garda station to the District Court by car even though it was directly across the road as “a number of people were congregating in front of the court house and it was not appropriate, safe, or in his best interests to walk across”.

He denied there was an “angry mob” of around 100 people and said there were 20 to 30 people there and a “media presence”.

Garda Pat Conway told the court that in the months following Melissa’s disappearance he would call to Mr McManus’ home up to three times a week to ask the accused if he knew anything about the girl. Gda Conway said: “He always said he’d make an effort to find her.”

Gda Conway said that on three occasions he met Samantha in Sligo and she asked him if Melissa had been found. He said he asked her if she could throw any light on the case but she had told him she could not.

Social workers, Hilary Mullen, told Mr Grehan that she had dealt with the accused man’s daughters since 2006 and that until February 2008 Samantha had said nothing about Melissa Mahon.

The jury earlier heard that Melissa went missing from the care of the HSE on September 14, 2006. Her remains were found on the shore of Lough Gill in Sligo after Samantha made a statement to gardaí in February 2008.

The trial continues before Mr Justice Barry White and a jury of six men and six women. It will continue into next week.