Murder accused told neighbour ‘brain’s telling me to stab you’, court hears

Two weeks before he is alleged to have stabbed his wife to death, Alan Ward told his female neighbour: “You’re a lovely lady but brain’s telling me to stab you,” his murder trial has heard.

Siobhan Byrne said Mr Ward, who denies murdering his wife Catherine, was in an agitated state when he called to her door and she could smell alcohol from him. At first he did not say anything but when Ms Byrne brought him inside her home and sat him down he spoke about stabbing her, stabbing his doctor and complained that nobody was listening to him.

Ms Byrne’s daughter Stacey Byrne said she remembered the accused man saying that the “voices in his head” told him to kill people although she was not sure if he referred to ‘people’ or ‘Catherine’. She said she made her statement to gardaí about 18 months after the incident and couldn’t be sure if she thought he said Catherine because of what happened two weeks later when Catherine Ward was stabbed to death.

Alan Ward (54) has pleaded not guilty to the murder of his wife Catherine Ward (41) at their home on Greenfort Drive, Clondalkin, Dublin 22 on March 1st , 2019. He has also pleaded not guilty to an offence of making a threat to kill or cause serious harm to his son Adam Ward, intending him to believe that the threat would be carried out and has pleaded not guilty to attempting to stab Adam on the same date.

Siobhan Byrne told prosecution counsel Bernard Condon SC that she got to know the Wards after they moved into a house near her own in Clondalkin. Some time after they moved in Alan Ward had a stroke and she noticed that afterwards his speech was slurred, sometimes he couldn’t get his words out and he seemed frustrated by what had happened to him.

Two weeks before Catherine Ward was killed, she said Mr Ward knocked on her door. When she answered he stood staring at her without speaking. He pointed to a phone in his hand and when she took it she could hear emergency services on the other end. She told them what was happening and that she knew Mr Ward had previously had a stroke, so they told her to bring him inside, sit him down and they would send an ambulance.

Once Mr Ward was in the sitting room Ms Byrne said he began to “kind of talk” and said: “You’re a lovely lady but brain’s telling me to stab you.” He also told her he wanted to stab his doctor. He was agitated, she said, and complained that nobody was listening to him. She smelled alcohol from him but believed that what was wrong with him was “more of a mental thing”. An ambulance crew arrived a short time later and took Mr Ward away.

‘Happy couple’

Ms Byrne told Giollaiosa O’Lideadha SC, for the defence, that she knew the Wards as a “happy couple who always went everywhere together. They were very nice people. Very into their kids.” She said Mr Ward had no reason to be negative towards her and agreed that when he came into her home he was highly agitated.

Stacey Byrne told Mr Condon that she remembered the Wards as “pleasant and kind” people who would often come together to the shop where she worked. She remembered Mr Ward calling to her mother’s house. At first he couldn’t speak, she said, and when he did speak, she heard him say there were “people in my head telling me to hurt people.” She wasn’t sure if he said ‘people’ or ‘Catherine’ and explained that there was an 18-month gap between the incident and when she gave her statement to gardai. She said she also remembered him saying that he was trying to get help but people weren’t helping.

Stephen O’Neill, a fire officer with Dublin Fire Brigade, told Mr Condon that he arrived at the Byrne home and checked Mr Ward’s vital signs which were all normal. There was also no evidence that he had suffered a stroke, he said. Mr O’Neill agreed with Mr O’Lideadha, for the defence, that he wrote in his statement that he believed Mr Ward had a “mental health issue”, was having difficulty in speaking and appeared to be frustrated at his inability to communicate.

The trial continues in front of Mr Justice Tony Hunt and a jury of nine men and three women.