THE TRIAL of a man accused of murdering Swiss teenager Manuela Riedo in Galway in 2007 has heard that his DNA was found in a used condom near her body.
The jury heard that Ms Riedo’s body was found in an area of wasteland beside a pedestrian walkway, known locally as “The Line”.
Gerald Barry (28), of Rosan Glas, Rahoon, Galway, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Ms Riedo (17) at Lough Atalia, Renmore, Galway on October 8th, 2007. He has pleaded guilty to stealing a camera and mobile phone at the same place and date.
Sam Beardon told Isobel Kennedy SC, prosecuting, that he was walking to work on October 9th, 2007, along a shortcut below “The Line”. He said he noticed a rucksack “in the middle of a clump of bushes, on a muddy path”.
Mr Beardon said that he had travelled the same route the evening before and had noticed nothing. He also noticed a purse on the ground.
Mr Beardon then noticed “something pale in colour.” He looked a second time and realised it was “the body of a female”, with a coat covering the upper front of her body including the head. Mr Beardon said that he called 999.
Dr Dennis Higgins told the court that he arrived at the scene at 10.45 that morning. He said that “a naked female was lying supine on the ground. Her right leg was bent at the knee”.
He noted that the pupils were “fixed and dilated” and she had no pulse. Dr Higgins pronounced her dead at 11.05am. He also noted an “abrasion on the left side of her forehead and bruising on the lower neck”. He said her death appeared to have been recent.
Christian Klingle told the court that he was a teacher in Freiburg School in Switzerland. He said that the school brought students to Ireland every year to learn English and that in October 2007 he and a colleague travelled to Galway with 43 students. Manuela Riedo was part of the group.
Mr Klingle said that they arrived in Galway on Saturday night, October 6th, and that language schools there had organised accommodation for the students.
On Monday Mr Klingle met a colleague in the King’s Head for lunch. Some students arrived. Manuela was not part of that group. He remained with the students until 11pm.
He said he did not see Manuela at all that Monday.
Mr Klingle said that the following day, Tuesday, he tried to contact Manuela on her mobile phone but received no reply. He also tried to send her a text message but the message did not go through. He reported Manuela missing later that day.
Ms Kimberley Kramer-Bertschy, another teacher at the Freiburg School, said she advised the students that “girls shouldn’t walk alone at night”. She said she was informed on Tuesday October 9th that Manuela hadn’t shown up for school.
Ms Kramer-Bertschy said she went to the mortuary of University Hospital Galway on the night of October 9th. She was shown the body of a young female and confirmed it to be that of Manuela Riedo.
Earlier, opening the prosecution case, Ms Kennedy told the jury that evidence would be heard from State Pathologist Prof Marie Cassidy that the cause of Manuela’s death was “asphyxia due to neck compression”. Ms Kennedy told the jury that evidence will also be heard from Dr David Casey of the Forensic Science Laboratory that he attended the scene of the alleged murder and “found a used condom snagged in the bushes near the body.”
Evidence will be heard of “DNA analysis carried out and that DNA was found within the contents of the condom and found to be that of the accused”.
The jury will also hear that a “mixed DNA profile” was found on the outside of the condom and was matched to the accused and the deceased. Ms Kennedy said evidence would be heard that the home of the accused was searched by gardaí and a camera found in the bedroom.
“You will also hear evidence linking the camera to Manuela Riedo,” she said.
She told the jury that evidence would also be heard from a witness that he was sold a mobile phone by the accused and that the IDI number on the phone matched the number on an empty phone box given to the gardaí by Manuela’s parents.
The trial continues.