A 40-year-old Dublin woman accused of murdering her husband has gone on trial at the Central Criminal Court.
Tanya Doyle of Pairc Gleann Trasna, Aylesbury, Tallaght, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Paul Byrne (48) at that address on September 4th, 2009.
Brendan Grehan SC,defending, told the jury at the start of the trial it was admitted his client alone killed Mr Byrne. Mr Grehan said the issue would be Ms Doyle’s mental state at the time she carried out the killing.
Tragic case
Opening the trial for the prosecution, counsel Bernard Condon told the jury the fact the defence said Ms Doyle is solely responsible for the killing does not resolve the issue. He told the seven men and five women it was a tragic case and that they would hear just how tragic it was. Mr Condon said the issue was going to be what category of unlawful killing it is, murder or manslaughter.
The court heard Mr Byrne was an engineer who lived in Pairc Gleann Trasna and he had married Ms Doyle in 2001.
They had separated some years later but Ms Doyle would come back to the family home to stay from time to time.
On the evening of September 4th, 2009, emergency services received a 999 call from Mr Byrne who was in the throes of being attacked and killed, the court heard.
Begging for help
This call lasted just over eight minutes and Mr Byrne was begging for help saying “my wife is stabbing me”. Gardaí gained access to the house where a scene of horror greeted them, the court heard.
They observed a woman inside and a man had been attacked with a knife, which was protruding from him. Mr Condon said it was beyond hope for Mr Byrne, and a doctor pronounced him dead at the scene.
Other gardaí spoke to Ms Doyle at the scene and she told them: “He got what was coming to him. I meant to kill him, I meant to f**king kill him.”
When asked if she meant to stab him so many times she said: “I did because I wasn’t going to be done for attempted murder . . . wanted a fresh start with decent money, he wouldn’t sign over the house,” Ms Doyle told gardaí.
Deputy State Pathologist Dr Michael Curtis said there were over 60 wounds to the body.