Victim was going to meet boyfriend on night she was killed, court told

A co-worker of Mrs Geraldine Diver told the Central Criminal Court trial of her husband that Mrs Diver had told her she was "…

A co-worker of Mrs Geraldine Diver told the Central Criminal Court trial of her husband that Mrs Diver had told her she was "going to meet her wonderful Ray" on the night she was killed. The man referred to is Mr Ray Roche, a former bacon counter worker at Superquinn, who has already denied meeting Mrs Diver that night.

Mr John Diver (60) has pleaded not guilty to the murder of his wife, who was found strangled in her car outside Buckley's builders providers on Robinhood Road, Clondalkin, on December 2nd, 1996. She and Mr Diver had lived with their two children at Kilnamanagh Road, Walkins town, Dublin.

Mrs Diver (42) told her friend and co-worker, Ms Pauline Harty, that she had seen a solicitor and was seeking a separation agreement with her husband.

Ms Harty, a midwife, told Mr Edward Comyn SC, prosecuting, that she got to know Mrs Diver when she started working at the Coombe Hospital in 1991. Mrs Diver confided in her and when she began seeing Mr Roche, she told her about their relationship.

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Ms Harty said Mrs Diver told her "numerous times" that she was unhappy in her marriage to the accused.

She said Mrs Diver persuaded her to join her for a drink in the Kestrel pub in Walkinstown where she was meeting Mr Roche on her birthday in September 1996, less than three months before her death.

Mrs Diver told her how the relationship was developing and "was adamant" that she was going to have another baby, with Mr Roche as the father.

Dr Mary Giblen of the State Forensic Science Laboratory agreed with Mr Brendan Grehan BL, defending, that there was nothing she found that connected the accused with Mrs Diver or with the scene.

The trial continues.