Fire officer 'found woman's body in play pen'
A sub-officer with Dublin Fire Brigade has told a murder trial jury that he found the body of the victim upside down in a child’s play pen.
Daniel Daverin said he also found a lump hammer to the left hand side of the victim’s head.
He was giving evidence in the trial of Goodwill Uduchukwu (aged 32) with a previous address at Royal Canal View, Royal Canal Bank, Phibsboro who denies the murder of Natasha Gray (aged 25) at the same address.
The Jamaican-born mother of two died from head injuries.
The witness agreed with Ms Pauline Walley that the play pen had been described by other witnesses as a child's cot.
He told her that the woman, who was later identified as Natasha Gray, had injuries to both her head and hands. He agreed he had told gardaí that she had facial and cranial injuries and had congealed blood on her head and face.
He said she also had defence wounds on her hands and some of her fingers seemed to be broken.
He said she was brought out of the bedroom where she was found on a carrying sheet and he had asked that the children in the house be removed from the hall because it was a sight he did not want young children to see.
Mr Daverin agreed with Pieter Le Vert BL, defending that it was not the first time he had been to a scene of this type and that there was always a certain amount of chaos, making it hard to notice all of the details of what was going on.
Mr Le Vert said that Sergeant Brian Delaney who had arrived at the scene said in his statement that the witness had confirmed to him that Ms Gray had a pulse when she was placed on the carrying sheet.
The witness replied: “I don’t remember mentioning a pulse. I wouldn't be checking for a pulse. That's not my function.”
Asked by the trial judge Mr Justice Kevin O’Higgins if he thought she was alive he replied: “At the time, no.”
The trial continues before the jury of five men and seven women.
