Fisherman tells Ruth Lawrence murder trial he noticed ‘dreadful smell coming off’ lake island

Alison O’Riordan

A fisherman has told the trial of Ruth Lawrence, who is accused of murdering two men over a decade ago, that he noticed a "dreadful smell coming off" a lake island on Lough Sheelin, which he associated with "rotten flesh" a month after the men went missing.

Ruth Lawrence (45), 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 between April 22nd 2014 and May 26th 2014, both dates inclusive.

Pat Smith, who is a former butcher, told Mr Michael O'Higgins SC, prosecuting, that he was fishing in a boat on Lough Sheelin with another man on May 18th 2014.

The lake measures 7km by 4km and straddles the borders of counties Meath, Westmeath and Cavan.

Mr Smith said they had a break at some stage in the day to have tea and sandwiches and had moved "in close" to Inchicup island on the lake "for cover".

Mr Smith said there was a "bit of cover" from the wind at the eastern side of the island but it was not an island "you go into".

The witness said he had noticed a "dreadful smell coming off the island".

The witness agreed with counsel that Inchicup island is "very boggy" and about 100 metres from the shoreline. "It's actually all stone, not somewhere you go into," he added.

Mr Smith said the reason he got suspicious was because the previous week he had seen The Garda Water Unit "diving elsewhere" and out searching for the "two bodies, the missing men".

Asked whether he had associated the smell with anything, Mr Smith replied: "rotten flesh" The witness said he had to pull the boat away from the shoreline because of the strength of the odour and instead went up the shore to have his tea.

The next day, Mr Smith said he made contact with his friend Sergeant Michael Bennett to alert him as to what had happened, as he was mindful of the searches going on for the two missing men.

The trial continues this afternoon before Mr Justice Tony Hunt and a jury of four men and eight women.

In his opening address, Mr O'Higgins told the jury that the State would argue that Ms Lawrence shot drug dealer Mr O'Connor and worked "as a unit" with her boyfriend to kill him and Mr Keegan, with their bodies later found "bound in rope, tape and covered in tarpaulin" on Inchicup Island.

Counsel for the State said the 12 jurors would 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, South African national Mr Neville van der Westhuizen.

The jurors were also told by Mr O'Higgins it is the prosecution case that the accused woman and her boyfriend had "spoken openly" about "the murders and disposing of the bodies".