A 25-year-old woman who stabbed a man thirteen times and then scalded him with boiling water said under cross-examination today that she had lost her head "completely" because she was drunk at the time.
"I had lost my head completely, I was drunk, didn't know what I was doing. He started pushing me and I started pushing him back, we were pushing each other," said Ms Christina Williams.
Originally of Berwyn Carmel Road, Holywell, Flintshire in North Wales, Ms Williams, was giving evidence before Mr Justice Kevin O'Higgins during her trial at the Central Criminal Court.
She has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Mr Andrew Foley (54) at his basement flat on Nelson Street,Dublin on May 7th 2002, just hours after meeting him for the first time at a nearby pub.
Originally from Dromahair, Co Leitrim, Mr Foley had been living in Dublin working as a carpenter for several years. He was separated from his wife, whowas present in court today along with Mr Foley's sister and daughter.
Under cross-examination by prosecution counsel Mr Alex Owens SC, Ms Williams told the jury that Mr Foley returned to his flat where he allowed her to sleep for a while and woke her up demanding sex. She confirmed to Mr Owens that when she refused to have sex with him he told her to get out of the flat and an argument broke out. "He was grabbing me and touching me places Ididn't want him to. He was all over me," Ms Williams told the court.
She denied that she told Garda detectives in a statement that when Mr Foley told her to get out of the flat she got out of bed and started pushing himaround his flat.
"I can't remember, I was drunk, I was an alcoholic. I remember stabbing him a couple of times. I don't know whether he bled or not, I don't know," she said.
When asked why she felt the need to stab Mr Foley, she said she did it out of "fear for my life". "I don't know, my head wasn't thinking right, I didn't know what I was doing," she added.
Ms Williams admitted that Mr Foley had collapsed into achair for "a couple of minutes" when she decided to boil a kettle of water and poured it over him.
She said she went for help "straight away" afterthat. "I realised what I'd done and I wanted to help the man so I went out into the street to look for help".
The court heard that Ms Williams had a drink problem for some years and had, at one point, been treated in a psychiatric hospital for the problem.
Dr Marie Cassidy confirmed Mr Foley died due to a groin stab wound which cut an artery and a stab wound to the chest which punctured his left lung. He sustained thirteen stab wounds in total including one to hiseye, several to his chest and shoulders and one to his groin.
The trial is expected to conclude tomorrow.