THE DAUGHTER of a woman whose body was pulled out a river two weeks after she went missing from the family home texted a member of her stepfather's family offering to help him, a Central Criminal Court jury has heard.
John O'Brien (41), Ballinakill Downs, Co Waterford, denies murdering Meg Walsh (35) in October 2006.
Sasha Keating (18), Ms Walsh's daughter, texted her stepfather's sister last July after a night of drinking. She told Iseult O'Malley SC,defending, in cross examination that she regretted sending the text at about 3.45am.
The text, sent to Theresa O'Brien, read: "Hey, I'm the only one that wants to help you now so please listen to me. Will you listen? John is still my stepfather. Believe me or not but I want to help him. Will you listen? I really hate seeing anyone in this state. Will you listen please?"
She said: "I sent that because I was afraid he was in such a state he would do something to himself. I couldn't live with not knowing what happened to my mother. I needed him to tell me what he did to her."
She told Denis Vaughan Buckley SC, prosecuting, that Mr O'Brien called her on October 14th and asked her if she was all right. "He said he was just back home and if I wanted to go to the house to collect any of my things."
Ms Keating said she did not have much in the house but asked him if she could collect all her mother's stuff. Mr O'Brien agreed. She did not go to the house for several weeks after the call since her mother was found the next day.
Harry Condon told Mr Buckley he had taken his boat out on to the river Suir at about 3pm on October 15th to help with the search. He was a sub-contractor with Meadowcourt Homes, where Ms Walsh was office administrator.
He was called to the bank by another man helping in the search. Mr Condon said that as he drew closer in the boat, the other man became distressed and started shouting something about a body.
Mr Condon saw a body floating face down. When he saw her hair floating he knew it was Meg.
Nicky Farrell told Dominic McGinn, prosecuting, that he lived with his parents in a house directly behind Mr O'Brien's house. He was having breakfast with his family at about noon on Sunday, October 1st.
From the kitchen table he could see the back of the other house. As he was eating his breakfast he looked out and saw Ms Walsh in an upstairs bedroom. She appeared to be putting clothes away.
Eoin O'Regan told Mr McGinn that he had worked with Ms Walsh in Fermoy at a firm of electrical contacts manufacturers called SCI. At the time she was married to her first husband and was known as Mags Keating.
He said she left SCI in 2001 when she got a job in Waterford after her marriage broke down. He kept in touch with her as he also lived in Waterford. He was aware she met Mr O'Brien and the two got married in September 2005, a little more than a year before her death.
He had met them on September 30th in the bar of the Meadowlands Hotel. He left the bar at about 2.45am.
Owen Walsh, continuing his cross examination yesterday, told Mr McCarthy he had not been holding hands with Ms Walsh when they were sitting in the hotel lobby after the bar had closed, although he said she could have been holding his wrist.
The trial continues today before Mr Justice Barry White and the jury.