GARDA EVIDENCE AT DAY TWO OF CITY MURDER TRIAL

Date Published: 22-Jan-2013

A woman who denies murdering her former boyfriend by stabbing him 18 times with a kitchen knife, admitted carrying out a frenzied and violent attack on him, the Central Criminal Court sitting in Galway heard today.

31 year old Maura Thornton, from Inverin, Connemara, denies the murder of US national 59 year old Kevin Joyce at an apartment at 183, Upper Salthill on July 31, 2011.

Maura Thornton told Gardai she only meant to give him a few "prods" with the kitchen knife to make him go away and she never intended to kill him.

Garda Greg Fleming who was the first Garda to arrive at the apartment around 10.28pm, shortly after Mr Joyce was stabbed, told the jury he found the victim in a collapsed state on a balcony area outside

He came inside and saw Maura Thornton who was intoxicated sitting on a couch smoking.

There were cans of cider and two bottles of whiskey on

a coffee table in front of her.

When he asked her what had happened to Kevin Joyce, she replied, "He annoyed me all day, banging, banging, annoying me. I told him I’d kill him. I stabbed him. I did whatever I did. I told him I would."

When initially charged with causing serious harm to the victim she replied, "He will get serious harm. Is he dead or alive? Hopefully he’s dead."

When charged in the following days with his murder she had replied, "May he rest in peace."

Ambulance paramedic, Mike Smith told the jury yesterday he found Mr Joyce lying on his back with a pool of blood behind his head.

He noticed several stab wounds to his left upper body.

The trial continues tomorrow before Mr Justice Barry White.