Prosecution rests in Mahon murder trial
The jury in the trial of the man accused of murdering Melissa Mahon has now heard all prosecution evidence in the case.
Ronald McManus (aged 44), also known as Ronnie Dunbar, of Rathbraughan Park, Sligo, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Melissa Mahon on a date unknown between September 14 and 30, 2006. He also denies threatening to kill one of his daughters, Samantha Conroy, during the same period.
On day 21 of the Central Criminal Court trial the jury heard from Detective Garda William O’Neill, who had analysed the mobile phone records of Melissa's and Mr McManus’ phones.
Det. Gda O’Neill said that in the period between Melissa Mahon getting a mobile phone on August 29, 2006 and going missing on September 14, 2006, over 30% of calls or texts recorded on Mr McManus’ phone involved phone calls or texts to or from the girl.
The witness said that of 679 calls or texts to or from Mr McManus’ phone during that period, 210 were to or from Melissa’s phone. Det. Gda O’Neill said that, during the same period, there were 83 calls or texts between the accused and his then-girlfriend, Angelique Sheridan.
He said that there were a number of calls and text messages between the phones on the morning Melissa went missing and the last call from Mr McManus to Melissa was recorded at 10.52 am that day.
Det. Gda O’Neill agreed with Mr Brendan Grehan SC, defending, that the phone records could not indicate who had in fact made or received the calls but only that communication was recorded between phone attributed to particular people.
Mr Grehan also referred to evidence given earlier in the trial by Ms Sheridan that her relationship with the accused ended around the first week of September.
Niall Delaney, a journalist from Ocean FM radio station in Sligo, told Mr Grehan that he interviewed the accused on February 19, 2008 in Mr McManus’ car and recorded their conversation.
Mr Delaney agreed that there was huge media interest in the discovery of remains at Lough Gill and that Mr McManus wanted to “set the record straight” and respond to allegations that had been made against him.
Mr Delaney said he spoke to the accused for one and a half hours and that Mr McManus asked that the entire conversation be recorded and that Mr Delaney would interview the accused man’s youngest daughter. The accused also asked Mr Delaney that his voice be disguised for broadcast.
The journalist said the accused told him he had not killed Melissa and was adamant that he had had a purely father daughter relationship with the girl.
Mr Delaney said that later that day he recorded a telephone interview with the accused man’s daughter but had no intention of broadcasting it. He said that she gave him an account in which her sister Samantha had accused Melissa of stealing her drugs during a camping trip and had hit Melissa with a rock.
The witness said that Mr McManus was critical of social workers and wanted to know why they had not gone after Melissa on the last occasion on which she was seen.
This afternoon, Isobel Kennedy SC, prosecuting, indicated that the State’s case had concluded. Mr Grehan told Mr Justice Barry White that he had an application to make in the absence of the jury. The trial will continue tomorrow morning.
