The trial of a man accused of murdering his wife today heard the accused told a friend he was going to kill his wife days before she was found strangled at their home.
Anton Mulder (44) of Maelduin, Dunshaughlin, Co Meath and originally form South Africa, pleaded not guilty to the murder, but guilty to the manslaughter of his wife Colleen Suzanne Mulder.
She was found dead in the bedroom of their house at the same address on December 17th 2004.
The Central Criminal Court heard from Andreas Johannes Loubser, also South African, who said he had a conversation on December 8th with Mr Mulder outside the fast food restaurant where they worked.
In the course of the discussion, the accused told him that he was going to his wife's house in Northern Ireland and would kill her.
Mr Mulder also said to him that it was, "very easy to do things in this country," and that he would only do "five or six years." The wtiness said Mulder claimed he would still be a young man when releaed from jail.
Ms Mulder was originally from Bangor Co Down and had met her husband when she lived in South Africa. They later moved to Ireland but were experiencing marital problems and were briefly living apart. Mr Loubser said the accused he was worried his wife would keep their children in Northern Ireland permanently.
In response to prosecution counsel Gerard Clarke SC, Mr Loubser said that at the time he was working as a chef at a branch of KFC and Mr Mulder was a regional manager with the company.
Earlier, Judge Philip O'Sullivan made an order excluding Mrs Mulder's brother William Carson Pollock, and his wife Andrea, from the grounds of the Courts for the duration of the trial.
He made this after the foreman of the jury said that Mr Carson had approached one of the jurors. The jury were also aware that last Tuesday a person, later identified as Mr Pollock, was incarcerated by Mr Justice Paul Carney for causing a commotion in the court when the jury was being selected.
The case, which is being heard by a jury of ten men and two women, resumes on Monday.