Jury views CCTV footage in murder trial of Kilkenny grandmother

The jury in the trial of a retired grandmother, whose dismembered remains were found scattered at nine different locations in the Dublin and Wicklow mountains, have been watching CCTV footage of a murder accused purchasing items in DIY stores in the days after her alleged killing. 

The trial has heard that gardai watched a total of 343 hours of footage covering the front and back of the deceased's Rathfarnham home, which was captured on a neighbour’s camera over a two-week period in 2017.

The jurors have spent a second day watching CCTV evidence at the Central Criminal Court, where father-of-three Kieran Greene is on trial charged with murdering Patricia O’Connor. Mr Greene (34) has pleaded not guilty to murdering Mrs O'Connor (61) at her home in Mountainview Park, Rathfarnham, Dublin 14 on May 29, 2017.

The deceased's daughter Louise O'Connor (41) and granddaughter Stephanie O'Connor (22), both of Millmount Court, Dundrum Road, Dublin 14, and Louise O'Connor's ex-partner Keith Johnston (43), of Avonbeg Gardens, Tallaght, Dublin 24 are all charged with impeding the apprehension or prosecution of Kieran Greene, knowing or believing him to have committed an arrestable offence, to wit the murder of Mrs O'Connor on May 29, 2017.

The trial has heard that the body of Mrs O’Connor was dismembered into 15 separate parts that were found at nine different locations over a 30km range in the Dublin and Wicklow mountains between June 10 and 14, 2017. 

Former Depute State Pathologist, Dr Michael Curtis, has given evidence that Mrs O'Connor's head was struck a minimum of three blows with a solid implement and the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head.

It is the prosecution's case that Mrs O'Connor was already lying dead in a shallow grave in Wexford but not yet dismembered when Mr Johnston assisted Mr Greene in purchasing various DIY items. It is also the State's contention that Mr Johnston began redecorating the bathroom at Mountainview Park in order to destroy or conceal any evidence relating to the alleged murder of Mrs O'Connor. 
Giving evidence for a second day, Garda Alan Thompson told prosecuting counsel, Gerardine Small BL, that Keith Johnston appears to be checking the tiles on the extension roof at Mountainview on June 4 at 12.37pm.

Showing the jury CCTV footage from Homebase in Nutgrove on June 5, Gda Thompson described Mr Greene and Mr Johnston entering the store at 1.50pm. 

At 2.02pm on the same day, the witness testified that Mr Greene walks up the driveway of Mountainview followed by Mr Johnston, who is carrying a bucket of paint.

At 3.17pm, Mr Johnston hands Mr Greene a bag of cement or grout at the back door of the house, he outlined.

At 4.30pm, Mr Johnston is seen carrying a paint brush in his hand and appears to brush it up and down the wall, said Gda Thompson.

CCTV footage commencing on June 6 was then played for the jury, showing Mr Greene walking outside with a paint tray at 3.54pm and Mr Johnston holding an orange bucket, he said.

Gda Thompson then moved onto footage from June 9, which shows a Toyota Corolla reversing out of Mountainview at 3.10pm. At 4pm, Mr Greene and Mr Johnston enter Mr Price in Tallaght and walk around the shop with Mr Greene carrying a black canister. Mr Greene can then be seen at the till buying a number of items including a plastic canister and Mr Johnston carries some items, said the witness.

At 4.15pm on the same day, a Toyota Corolla car driven by Mr Greene is seen entering Belgard Retail carpark in Tallaght. Five minutes later, Mr Greene and Mr Johnston enter B&Q and Mr Greene is seen purchasing two pairs of gloves, black bags and two saws. Both men leave the shop carrying the purchased items, said the witness, adding that the car then exits the carpark.

At 4.40pm, the Toyota Corolla car driven by Mr Greene with an outline of a person in the passenger seat enters The Square carpark in Tallaght, said the witness. Mr Greene and Mr Johnston go into Shoezone at 4.44pm and both men then leave the shop carrying items.

At 5.08pm, Mr Greene and Mr Johnston are seen browsing in Woodies in Tallaght. The two men are then seen at the till and Mr Greene purchases items, he said. Upon leaving the store, Mr Greene is carrying an item with a handle. The Toyota Corolla car drives into the driveway of Mountainview at 5.48pm and Mr Greene walks up the driveway.

On June 9 at 6.19pm, Mr Greene is seen going to Boots in Nutgrove Shopping Centre, where he purchases some items at the till. He then enters Eurogiant and purchases babywipes and household gloves, said Gda Thompson. He then returns to Mountainview. 

At 8.54pm, Mr Greene removes a child seat from the passenger seat of the Toyota Corolla car before it reverses out of the driveway five minutes later. 

On June 10 at 4.15am, the Toyota Corolla pulls into the driveway of Mountainview and a male is seen walking up the driveway, concluded Gda Thompson.

The trial has heard that while in custody, Mr Greene changed his account of killing and dismembering his partner's mother, six months after he was charged with her murder. 

Evidence has been given that Mr Greene walked into Rathfarnham Garda Station on June 12, 2017 and told a detective that he had done "something terrible" and dismembered the body of Mrs O'Connor on his own. However, the accused man told gardai on December 9 that he had taken “the rap” and felt he was being set-up, as his girlfriend Louise O'Connor subsequently started going back out with her ex-boyfriend Keith Johnston. 

Mother-of-five Louise O'Connor has pleaded not guilty to agreeing to or acquiescing in her daughter Stephanie O'Connor disguising herself as Patricia O'Connor at Mountainview Park, Rathfarnham, Dublin 14 on May 29, 2017 in order to conceal the fact that Patricia O'Connor was dead. 

Stephanie O'Connor has pleaded not  guilty to disguising herself as Mrs O'Connor at Mountainview Park, Rathfarnham, Dublin 14 at a point in time after her murder on May 29, 2017 in order to conceal the fact that she was already dead. 

Mr Johnston has pleaded not guilty to assisting Mr Greene in the purchase of various implements at Woodie's, Mr Price, B&Q and Shoe Zone, Tallaght, Dublin 24 on June 9, 2017, which were to be used in the concealment of the remains of Mrs O'Connor. 

Mr Johnston also denies engaging in the refurbishment of a bathroom at Mountainview Park, Rathfarnham, Dublin 14 between May 31, 2017 and June 9, 2017, in order to destroy or conceal any evidence relating to the murder of Mrs O'Connor. 

The trial continues this afternoon before Mr Justice Paul McDermott and a jury of six men and six women.