Drug debt dispute led to double killing on Lough Sheelin, jury hears
Alison O’Riordan
A Dublin woman shot a drug dealer and worked "as a unit and as part of an agreement" with her boyfriend to kill him and another man, with their bodies later found "bound in rope, tape and covered in tarpaulin" by fishermen on a lake island over a decade ago, the State is to argue at a murder trial.
Opening the trial of Ruth Lawrence (45) at the Central Criminal Court today, counsel for the State said the 12 jurors will hear evidence that the accused woman shot one of the two men, but this was not immediately fatal and was "quickly followed up" by a shot from the defendant's boyfriend.
The 12 jurors were also told by senior counsel Michael O'Higgins that it is the prosecution's case that the accused woman and her boyfriend had "spoken openly" about "the murders and disposing of the bodies". "The prosecution contends that the comments made by Ms Lawrence indicate she was involved in both of the murders and disposing of the bodies," he said.
Ruth Lawrence, who is originally from Clontarf in Dublin but with an address at Patricks Cottage, Ross, Mountnugent in Co Meath has pleaded not guilty to murdering Anthony Keegan (33) and Eoin O'Connor (32) at an unknown location within the State on a date unknown between April 22, 2014 and May 26, 2014, both dates inclusive.
Opening the State's case at the Central Criminal Court today Michael O'Higgins SC, for the Director of Public Prosecutions, said the prosecution can last place Mr Keegan and Mr O'Connor as being alive on the early evening of April 22 in 2014 and "thereafter they disappeared from sight".
Counsel said the bodies of the two deceased men were recovered on May 26, 2014 on Inchicup Island on Lough Sheelin, which measures 7km by 4km, and "straddles" the borders of counties Meath, Westmeath and Cavan.
Mr O'Higgins said the jury would hear that Ms Lawrence lived with her boyfriend, South African national Neville van der Westhuizen, in Patricks Cottage, which is on the Westmeath side of Lough Sheelin.
Mr O'Higgins added: "Where the bodies were hidden, the island is about 100 metres from the shoreline, at a point very close to the cottage". He said the postmortems established that both men died from gunshot wounds.
Detailing the evidence that will be heard, counsel said Mr Keegan was shot in the neck and head, whilst Mr O'Connor was shot in the head and stomach.
The barrister said the jury would hear from expert forensic witnesses as well as ordinary people giving evidence of what they saw and things they heard being said.
The issue in the case, Mr O'Higgins said, was whether the evidence established that Ms Lawrence murdered the two men.
Mr O'Higgins said sometimes more than one person can be involved in a murder, such as those who plan it and getaway drivers. However, he said, where different parts of a team are operating with a common goal, that phrase is known as joint enterprise or common design.
He added: "The person who pulls the trigger and the person who provides the firearm and the person who is waiting down the road to drive the shooter away; provided they are working towards the same common aim, each is guilty of murder even though one may not be at the scene where the person was shot".
The barrister said the prosecution is contending that Ms Lawrence did work with another person, "particularly her boyfriend," and they were "working as a unit, as part of an agreement to kill Mr O'Connor and Mr Keegan".
Counsel said the prosecution will be contending on the evidence before the jury that Ms Lawrence shot Mr O'Connor. "The particular shot discharged did not appear to be immediately fatal but was quickly followed up by a shot by her boyfriend," said the barrister.
The lawyer said it was contended that Mr van der Westhuizen shot Mr Keegan, but as the accused and Mr van der Westhuizen were acting as a team, "it was contended both are guilty of the offence of murder".
Mr O'Higgins said the evidence will be that Mr O'Connor was a drug dealer and sold drugs to Mr van der Westhuizen. Mr van der Westhuizen owed Mr O'Connor "a fairly considerable sum of money" in the region of €70,000.
Mr O'Connor was under pressure to be paid as he in turn had "to pay money up the line". The jurors, counsel said, would hear that an immediate payment of €15,000 was to be forthcoming.
The court heard there will be further evidence that two other drug dealers - who can only be identified as Mr AB and Mr CD - had put Mr O'Connor in touch with Mr van der Westhuizen. Counsel said the other deceased, Mr Keegan, had accompanied Mr O'Connor to Co Cavan "in a supporting role" in case there was any trouble, and it was not suggested it was any more than that.
The lawyer said the panel would also hear about a father and daughter. The father sold drugs locally around Ballyjamesduff in Co Cavan and on occasion he got drugs for Mr van der Westhuizen and Mr O'Connor.
Counsel said the father had a daughter, who was then doing a post-Leaving Certificate course and sold insignificant quantities of 'weed' and cannabis on campus.
The barrister further stated that Mr van der Westhuizen was also friends with a Latvian national, who twice came to Patricks Cottage on April 23, which he said is believed to be the day after the two murders took place.
Mr O'Higgins said the Latvian national was on occasion involved in a clean-up of the cottage assisted by the accused and Mr van der Westhuizen so it would be difficult to find evidence of the two deceased men being there in the event of any forensic examinations. The Latvian national had also brought cement blocks known as 'H-blocks' to the cottage.
Referring to Monday, April 21 2014, Mr O'Higgins said the jurors would hear that Ms Lawrence had inquired of her landlord and neighbour whether she could hire a boat to go out on Lough Sheelin.
On the same day, Mr O'Connor travelled to the home of the father as he was looking to be paid money owed to him. Mr O'Connor was paid a small sum of money but was also anxious to make contact with Mr van der Westhuizen, who he said owed him a higher sum of money and that he was immediately seeking €15,000.
The father and daughter, counsel said, drove to Dublin that evening and picked up two mobile phones from a man, which they dropped to Mr van der Westhuizen on their way home.
On the evening of Tuesday April 22, Mr O'Connor drove himself and Mr Keegan to Ballyjamesduff in his mother's silver-coloured Ford Focus. The prosecution contend that the purpose of the journey was to meet up with Mr van der Westhuizen. He said the jury would hear evidence of contact between those parties.
Counsel said the court will hear that the last contact on Mr Keegan's mobile phone was at 8.32pm and the last text Mr O'Connor received was at 8.38pm. "That's the last time any evidence can point to the time scale when these two men were last alive".
Mr O'Higgins said the prosecution was not in a position to adduce evidence "to pinpoint the precise moment" when both men were shot dead, however "looking at the evidence in the round" it seems likely it was later on the evening of April 22.
At 3.20am that night, counsel said gardaí drove into a car park at Lough Owel on the N4 in Co Westmeath and found there were no cars parked there at the time.
However, around 8.10am the next morning witnesses identified a silver-coloured Ford Focus parked there, which the prosecution contend was driven there by the accused woman between 3.20am and 8.10am.
Shortly after that a 999 call was received by gardaí regarding information on the two deceased men.
The lawyer said over the course of April 23 the Latvian man came to Patricks cottage. Ms Lawrence got an outboard motor from her neighbour and a clean-up took place using the 'H-blocks'.
Mr O'Connor's family were very concerned about him and some of them drove to Ballyjamesduff. Contact was made with An Garda Siochana and a missing persons investigation began.
In the meantime, the father and daughter went to Patricks cottage, where the accused, her boyfriend and the Latvian man were. He said the atmosphere was "extremely intense" and people were hyper and intoxicated with drugs and alcohol. Counsel said it is the prosecution case that the accused and her boyfriend were "speaking openly" about "the murders and disposing of the bodies".
Counsel said gardaí wanted to speak to Mr van der Westhuizen and the father, whom officers met at Navan Garda Station on the evening of April 24.
The court will also hear evidence, the lawyer said, that sometime in the early hours of the next morning the accused, Mr van der Westhuizen and the father and daughter drove to a disused house in Ashbourne, where Mr van der Westhuizen forced entry. The four of them slept in the house for a few hours before they all travelled to Rosslare Port in Co Wexford around 8.30pm on April 25, where they boarded a ferry to Fishguard in Wales and continued to London.
Another part of the prosecution case will be that within a few days, Mr van der Westhuizen left England and returned to South Africa. Counsel said Ms Lawrence had been living in South Africa until recently. He said the father and daughter had returned to Ireland a few weeks after they left and were interviewed at length by gardaí.
The barrister said the court will hear evidence regarding gardai going to Inchicup Island on May 26 2014, where there had been men fishing on the lake a few days previously. He said when the men "pulled up to have a cup of tea" close to the island they got a bad smell and alerted gardaí. The island was searched and the men's bodies were found bound in rope, tape and covered in tarpaulin and other material. They had died from gunshot wounds.
The trial continues tomorrow before Mr Justice Tony Hunt and a jury of four men and eight women. It is expected to last until November 14.
