Murder accused 'borrowed €1,000 from a garda weeks before woman's death'

The trial of a retired member of the Defence Forces, accused of the murder of an Athlone woman, has heard that he borrowed €1,000 from a garda a few weeks before the night of the woman's death.

Jimmy Devaney, with an address at Millbrook, Monksland, Athlone denies murdering 37-year-old Marie Green at Annagorta bog in Ballykieran outside Athlone on February 13, 2011.

On the second day of this trial, the jury heard that Jimmy Devaney contacted Joseph Hanny, a member of an Garda Síochána in Ballinasloe, on January 30, 2011 and asked him if he could borrow €1,000.

Garda Hanny knew Devaney from the Lighthouse Casino in Athlone where he regularly played cards.

Devaney said he was badly stuck for the money, and needed it for a family emergency. He said he didn’t want his wife to know, and that is why he couldn’t go to the credit union.

Garda Hanny gave him the money on the condition that he would pay it back within one week.

Another witness, Joseph Kenny, who ran tournaments at the Lighthouse casino, told the court that on the night of the alleged murder, Devaney arrived late to play a poker tournament.

He noticed that Devaney had cuts on his hands, around his knuckles, and the right hand of his shirt was torn.

When he asked Devaney what had happened, he replied that he had to "give a lad a tow" and that he had fallen in a ditch when he got out of his jeep.

Mr Kenny said Devaney appeared agitated by the questions.

It is the prosecution's case that Ms Greene worked as a prostitute and Mr Devaney was a client - and he stabbed her five to six times because she was blackmailing him for money and threatening to expose their relationship to his wife.