Prosecution’s closing speeches conclude in trials of three persons accused of impeding investigation

A 22-year-old woman entered into "a charade" by disguising herself as her grandmother to create "an indelible record" that the deceased woman was actually "alive and well", a prosecution barrister has told a murder trial jury. 

The Central Criminal Court also heard that the deceased's daughter was an "integral part" of this charade, while the stance adopted by "a trusted member" of the O'Connor family of knowing absolutely nothing regarding the purchase of DIY tools, which the State says were used in the dismemberment of the body, was "unbelievable to its core". 

Roisin Lacey SC, prosecuting, on Tuesday concluded her closing speech in the trial of Kieran Greene (35), who has pleaded not guilty to murdering Patricia 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 six-week 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.

Addressing the jury this morning, Ms Lacey said the cases against Stephanie O'Connor and her mother Louise O'Connor were "inextricably linked". "If you find we have not proved the case against Stephanie O'Connor, then on a factual basis we concede there is no case against Louise O'Connor," said Ms Lacey. 

It is the State's case that, in order to cover up the alleged murder, Stephanie O'Connor dressed up as her grandmother as "a ruse" to pretend that Mrs O'Connor had stormed out of the house on the night of May 29.

Evidence has been given that a female can be seen leaving the front of the house in CCTV footage at 9.34pm on May 29 and walking quickly down the driveway with a suitcase in her hand. The trial has heard that at 10.05pm that night, a female with a suitcase appears at the left-hand side of the house and goes in the back door. She closes the back door a minute later.

Counsel told the court that the defence had pointed out that there was potential for "egress or exiting the house" without being captured by CCTV footage. Ms Lacey told the court that this was essentially "an invitation to hypothesise" that Stephanie left the house in this way and this hypothesise "exploded" when one looked at the reality of the evidence in the case. She submitted it was an invitation to speculate and did "not hold water". 

Ms Lacey said a figure wearing jeans and a jacket with the hood up can be seen leaving the house on May 29 at 9.34pm. This person was holding a suitcase and the label on the suitcase can be seen flapping, she said. The figure moved in a very sprightly manner, she said, which was very different to Mrs O'Connor's deportment. "The hood is up for a purpose and serves to disguise the hair and any potential for discerning the facial features of the person leaving the house," she outlined.

She said Mrs O'Connor was last seen wearing a flowery frock on May 29 at 6.34pm and not jeans and a jacket. Also, a suitcase with a very distinctive label was later found in Augustine 'Gus' O'Connor's bedroom. 

Furthermore, Ms Lacey said it was the prosecution's case that Mrs O'Connor was wearing her frock when she was murdered and this was evidence to support the State's case that it was Stephanie O'Connor leaving the house at 9.34pm and not Mrs O'Connor. 

Going through the evidence in the trial, Ms Lacey said Stephanie firmly placed herself in the sitting room at 9.34pm that night but the CCTV footage from the rear of the property showed this to be a lie. Stephanie can be seen discussing something in the back garden with her mother Louise and Mr Greene on two occasions prior to 9.21pm that night, she said. "We say a plan was hatched that she would be exiting the property in the guise of Mrs O'Connor and that happens at 9.34pm," said Ms Lacey. 

Ms Lacey told the jurors that a figure with a coat over their arm and a suitcase can be seen coming from the side passage and entering the rear doors of the house at 10.05pm that night. Richard O'Connor, the son of the deceased, confirmed this figure was his niece and one imagines he would know, said the lawyer. 

She said this was a "charade" to create "an indelible record" on the CCTV footage to show Mrs O'Connor was alive and well when she walked out of the house at 9.34pm that night, in case it was needed to bolster any statement or if she was reported as a missing person down the line.. "They needed proof of her being alive to give support to a report being made of her missing," she pointed out. Also, Stephanie told gardai in her interviews that she knew a CCTV system existed next door, she submitted.

The court has heard that Stephanie appeared to view Anime cartoons on her laptop and apply for a job in Primark on the night she is alleged to have disguised herself as her grandmother. Ms Lacey said there was no usage of Stephanie's laptop from 9pm until 10.10pm and this coincided with the period of time when the prosecution say she was out of the house disguised as her grandmother. The computer is an "integral part" of the charade as it reactivates again at 10.10pm, five minutes after she came through the rear doors of the house, she said. In summary, Ms Lacey said there was ample evidence to find Stephanie was guilty of impeding the investigation. 

In relation to mother-of-five Louise O'Connor, Ms Lacey said that one can infer there was an acquiescence or agreement by examining her actions and answers in her interviews with gardai. She was an integral part of this ruse and charade and acted in support of Stephanie, she said. "Louise is quite clear that it is her mother leaving the house at 9.34pm, there is no equivocation and no ambiguity," said Ms Lacey.

If one believes beyond a reasonable doubt that it was Stephanie leaving the house at 9.34pm, then Louise is lying, submitted the barrister. Louise emerged from the house after the hooded figure left, said Ms Lacey, and five minutes before the person returned through the side door. "We say the proximity in time means something and the only rational and reasonable inference from those actions is a criminal one that does not serve any other purpose," she concluded. 

Referring to Mr Johnston, Ms Lacey said he was vague and "silent as a tomb" in his voluntary statement to gardai on June 14, 2017 about his trips to DIY shops with Mr Greene. "If those purchases and trips to DIY shops were done for legitimate reasons and if the items were being deployed in an innocent way, why the secrecy about it," submitted the lawyer. 

It is the State's case against Ms Johnston that Mrs O'Connor was already lying dead in a shallow grave in Wexford but not yet dismembered when he assisted Mr Greene in purchasing various DIY items.

Ms Lacey said the "highly specialised tools" purchased on June 9, including hacksaws and axes were highly relevant and he feigned a lack of memory. She said the stance adopted by Mr Johnston of accompanying Mr Greene to the DIY shops and knowing absolutely nothing was unbelievable to its core. 

The accused man accepted he went on a "shopping spree" with Mr Greene the day before Mrs O'Connor's body was found dismembered in the Wicklow mountains but told gardai he had not "put two and two together". "He told gardai he did not put two and two together, that presupposes there was two and two to put together," said Ms Lacey. 

She told the jurors they should have no difficulty in pulling all the strands together and reaching the conclusion that Mr Johnston knew or believed that these DIY tools were being purchased for deployment in the dismemberment of Mrs O'Connor.

Ms Lacey invited the jury to return guilty verdicts in relation to all four accused. 

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.