MR DAVID Marshall, a hair stylist, said it seemed "all hell broke loose" in the bedroom at Blackhall Stud where he had retired for the night.
Mr Marshall said Ms June Moloney had invited him to the party. He stayed overnight as he was playing golf next day with her husband, Brian.
Ms Moloney showed him to a large room with two beds, which were slightly larger than single. He freshened up and went down stairs. There were about 18 guests.
Me was not in party mood, being tired after a long day. He had gone purely for the golf. He did not appreciate until that evening that there was a party.
The guests were largely from the world of racing, in which he had little interest. He had known Mr Cathal Ryan briefly before that occasion. He did not know Ms Michelle Rocca at all.
He went to bed about midnight. When he got to the bedroom, he noticed there was somebody else on the other bed. He did not look very closely. They were asleep. There could have been one or two persons.
Mr Marshall said he undressed and got into bed quietly. While dozing, a person whom he now knew to be Ms Rocca came into the room. He thought she did so in an aggressive and determined fashion. She went directly to the other bed. There were a lot of obscenities voiced by her in a very aggressive tone. They were directed towards the person in the bed.
He saw the woman on the bed - Ms Sarah Linton - being pulled by the hair. He heard sounds of slaps. It all happened fairly quickly - some happened on the bed and some off it and on to the floor. The episode took three to four minutes at most.
Mr Marshall said he was not able to identify the parties: "I was totally shocked and I was frozen to the bed."
He did not know at the time who the three people were. He saw the girl who came in pulling the other girl by the hair and he was fairly certain he saw hitting motions. It seemed one was defending and the other was the aggressor. The two women might have been throwing punches at this stage.
Mr Ryan got up fairly quickly Mr Marshall continued. He was fully clothed. He seemed to have been on top of the bed. He was not in the bed. He tried to get between what was happening. There was a fair amount of pushing and pulling of each other.
Mr Marshall said he thought Mr Ryan had to use a reasonable amount of force. The whole thing ended up outside in the hall.
Mr Garrett Cooney SC, for Mr Ryan, put it to Mr Marshall that Ms Rocca had denied she came into any sort of physical contact with Ms Linton. Mr Marshall said he would say that was totally untrue. It was also incorrect that Mr Ryan assaulted Ms Rocca without any provocation whatsoever.
Mr Ryan was trying to separate them. Asked how much force was required, Mr Marshall said: "No more force than you or I would, use in the same situation."
Mr Marshall said he heard slaps and what sounded like fists hitting skin and face. He was glad to see the back of it, he was absolutely stunned.
He did not get out of bed: "When I saw Cathal had gone to the rescue, something inside me said just stay out of this."
Later, he had a sound night's sleep and played golf next day.
Mr Marshall said Dr Stephen Murphy had been his family doctor for a time. In his surgery, Dr Murphy raised the incident in conversation with him.
Mr Marshall had stated in the conversation that Ms Rocca had no case. His own candid opinion was that she had provoked the attack.
Under cross examination by Mr Liam Reidy SC, for Ms Rocca, Mr Marshall said he went to bed around midnight. Asked if he changed into his pyjamas, Mr Marshall said he stayed in his underwear and got into bed.
It seemed Ms Rocca pulled Ms Linton by the hair. There was "a fair bit of arms flying". He heard fists and slaps. He did not know if it was a closed fist or open hand. He certainly heard somebody being hit. It seemed to him that Ms Rocca was hitting Ms Linton. It seemed Ms Rocca initiated the attack and that she was to blame.
He saw her catch the other woman by the hair and pull her around the room and hit her. It seemed to him that "all hell had broken loose." Fists were flying and there was a nasty attack on Ms Linton.
Mr Reidy said Ms Linton had said she was neither punched, kicked nor slapped. Mr Marshall said that if you had two people in contact like they were, they were in a fight. Ms Linton was defending herself.
Mr Marshall said Mr Ryan seemed to succeed in separating them. He seemed to push them apart and Ms Rocca ended up outside the door. He did not punch Ms Rocca or slap her, as he saw. He did not see her pushed to the ground and slapped.
Further questioned by Mr Reidy, who showed Mr Marshall a picture of the injuries sustained by Ms Rocca, the witness said: "I didn't see Cathal hit anybody. If that is your (Mr Reidy's) question. OK."
Earlier, Dr Carmel Condon, medical practitioner, Fethard, Co Tipperary, said that on March 23rd, 1992, Ms Linton attended her.
Dr Condon said Ms Linton stated she was assaulted. She said she had been asleep and was hit across the head and face five or six times. She was in a very shocked state and tearful. Witness thought she was embarrassed by the situation and was distressed. She said she was OK.
Ms Linton had a half inch scratch on the side of her face and bruises above and below her knee; and on her shin. She had never seen Ms Linton after that visit.
Under cross examination, Dr Condon stated Ms Linton said her hair had been pulled but witness did not notice any hair loss. There were many causes of bruising.