A Louth labourer accused of the murder of German journalist Ms Bettina Poeschel did not have his 10 o'clock break with his co-workers on the day of her disappearance, three Latvian men told the Central Criminal Court yesterday.
When asked whether the accused took his 10 a.m. break in the site Portakabin, Mr Rinalds Baumanis replied through an interpreter: "No, as far as I can recollect, no".
"He had to go in the city, around ten o'clock, he had to see the doctor. As far as I understood at ten o'clock he went to see the doctor," he said.
At the murder trial of Mr Michael Murphy (42), from Drogheda, Mr Rinalds Baumanis, Mr Audrey Krastinsh and Mr Aldis Greizis all gave evidence as to their whereabouts on the day of Ms Poeschel's disappearance, September 25th, 2001.
Mr Murphy denies murdering the 28-year-old woman on a date between September 25th and October 17th, 2001, at Donore, Co Meath.
The three Latvian men had an arrangement with their employers whereby the accused would pick them up in the morning and bring them to work on the Dublin-Dundalk motorway construction site and bring them home in the evening.
Mr Baumanis said that Michael Murphy spent "most of the time outside".
Mr Krastinsh then told the jury that he didn't think Mr Murphy was on the site all the time: "I don't think so because we went out smoking and his car wasn't there." He, too, understood that Mr Murphy "had to go to the doctor" that morning.
The third Latvian, Mr Greizis, told the jury that Mr Murphy didn't join him or his colleagues for a break at any time. When asked by Mr Denis Vaughan Buckley SC, prosecuting, if he knew for sure whether Mr Murphy attended the doctor that day, Mr Greizis replied: "I know that he left."
All three testified that the accused drove them home from work that evening.
Earlier Drogheda GP Dr Michael O'Brien testified that Mr Murphy attended his surgery on September 26th, 2001, for a back complaint. "He said he got it at work while bending down to tie his shoe laces," he said.
The father of the accused, Mr Larry Murphy, was in court to testify that "around 21st September", his son came to his home and asked him if he could move back. He had been living with his girlfriend. His son had also told him that he had hurt his back.
The trial has adjourned for legal argument until Thursday.