Knife found in bloodied toilet cistern, Cork murder case hears

Scenes of crimes examiner, Detective Garda Gary McDonnell, also testified that "there was blood on the walls and floor."

Rita O'Driscoll denies the murder of Timmy Foley. File Picture: John Delea

A steak knife and a mobile phone were found submerged in the cistern of a toilet at the house where a man died after being stabbed 28 times.

Scenes of crimes examiner, Detective Garda Gary McDonnell, testified on day five of the Macroom murder trial at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork, before Ms Justice Eileen Creedon and a jury of seven women and five men.

48-year-old Rita O’Driscoll of Bridge Street, Bandon, County Cork, denies the murder of 44-year-old Timmy Foley at 12 Dan Corkery Place, Macroom, County Cork, on October 8, 2018, and assault causing serious harm to the deceased man’s brother, Jason Foley.

Detective Garda McDonnell described seeing the body of a man lying on his back in the sitting room of the house at Dan Corkery Place with what he said was a considerable amount of blood around him.

“There was evidence of a struggle in several locations in that room as well," he said.

He had a considerable number of injuries – stab wounds. There was blood on the walls and the floor. 

"The couch was moved as if there was some kind of disturbance or argument in the room.

“There were signs of at least one struggle in the sitting room. Items were knocked over. There was a lot of blood-like substance in different areas of the room."

He and his colleague Garda Niall Deane conducted a search of the house.

"During the search we found a white Nokia mobile phone and a black handled knife in the toilet cistern. There appeared to be more blood-like substance on the sink. Immediately under the sink was a larger staining – a larger pool of blood," Det. Garda McDonnell testified.

Prosecution senior counsel Siobhán Lankford asked: “What does that suggest?” 

He replied: “That a person stood there for a while and the blood dripped… In the bathroom there was blood on the cistern lid.” 

Legal issues were dealt with in the absence of the jury throughout the afternoon and Ms Justice Creedon told the jury to return to court for further evidence on Thursday. It was indicated at the outset that the trial would take two weeks or longer.

The jury has heard a number of comments that gardaí noted from the accused woman on the night of the incident in October two years ago. 

In one comment that was noted, Rita O’Driscoll said of her ex-husband: “He stabbed me seven times before. I relived the moments in the mental hospital. I was afraid of him… I am afraid of him no more. I don’t care if I live or die.”