Mahon murder trial hears former fiancé evidence
The jury in the Melissa Mahon murder trial has heard from the accused man’s former fiancé that early in their relationship he told her that she would hear rumours that he had had a relationship with Melissa.
Ronald McManus allegedly told Ruth Nooney around the one-year anniversary of Melissa's disappearance that a little girl was missing and there were rumours around town that he had gone out with her. He allegedly told the witness the rumours were untrue and said he would not be made a scapegoat in the case.
Ms Nooney said that he told her that he had helped Melissa get away from her abusive father and had assisted with getting her into care. Ms Nooney said when he first told her about Melissa he was carrying a black pouch containing newspaper cuttings about her.
Mr McManus (aged 44), also known as Ronnie Dunbar, of Rathbraughan Park, Sligo, has pleaded not guilty to murdering the schoolgirl in September 2006. He also denies threatening to kill one of his daughters, Samantha Conroy.
Ms Nooney said she began seeing Mr McManus in July 2007 and after the first time he spoke of Melissa he continued to bring her up in conversation until their relationship ended in November 2007.
On one occasion Mr McManus told her he would travel to England to look for Melissa and on another asked Ms Nooney whether she thought Melissa was missing or dead.
Ms Nooney said Mr McManus said that Melissa was drinking, taking drugs and spending time with boys in a house where there were parties prior to her disappearance.
She also said that the accused told her that Melissa’s sister would text him to see how he was and had told him that Melissa had been sighted in England.
He also allegedly told Ms Nooney that he had received a phone call on a very bad line with a girl saying “Dad, Dad, Dad” but it had not been one of his daughters.
He allegedly told Ms Nooney that the last time he saw Melissa was when he refused to let her into his house for his birthday party and told her he didn’t want her around there anymore. He said she had thrown a present for him over the back wall. Mr McManus’ birthday falls on September 10. Melissa Mahon went missing from the care of the Health Service Executive on September 14, 2006.
Ms Nooney told Isobel Kennedy SC, prosecuting, that she moved into the same estate as Mr McManus in July 2007. She met him in the street with his youngest daughter and he later came to her house to fix her television. She said they began a relationship which became very serious very quickly.
She said he would spend most nights in her house and then go home in the morning to look after his dogs. His youngest daughter would also stay in Ms Nooney’s house
She said he regularly played football and went to the gym every day. They would go for drives and walks everyday because he hated being in the town and loved the outdoors and being active.
They initially got along “brilliantly” but Ms Nooney said there was a “small disagreement” over her going out for a drink with her aunt as Mr McManus did not drink and did not agree with her drinking, so she stopped going out.
Ms Nooney told Ms Kennedy that on their first spin in Mr McManus’ car they stopped at a car park near Lough Gill and he got out to “take in the view” before they continued to Slish Wood where they would walk and talk.
She said “Ronnie has his beliefs that the new world is coming”. She said the accused believed that he would be a king in the new world, “he’s going to be king of the battlefield, that’s why he has to keep fit, that’s why he has dogs”. She said that he told her he would only be able to take the people who he trusted, and who were also strong, with him.
She agreed with Brendan Grehan SC, defending, that they had been engaged to be married and she had been “madly in love” at first. She said Mr McManus had played recordings to her of conversations he had had with Garda Pat Conway in which they discussed rumoured sightings of Melissa.
She agreed with Mr Grehan that she had “an awful lot of trouble” with the accused man’s daughters. She said got along with his youngest but his daughter Shirley was not happy about their relationship.
Ms Nooney also said Samantha attacked her with a penknife and kicked in her front door. She said that the accused would take her side against his daughters.
Ms Nooney said that their relationship ended after she had a meeting with a social worker in which the accused man's name was mentioned. She said Mr McManus had waited for her outside the meeting and questioned her. "I didn't even pack my stuff, I just left", she said.
On the 18th day of the trial, Valerie Tomlinson, a forensic scientist from the UK, also told the court that results from DNA analyses of a tooth recovered at the shore of Lough Gill and blood samples taken from Melissa Mahon’s parents were in keeping with the tooth being from a natural daughter of Mary and Frederick Mahon.
Ms Tomlinson said that the DNA profile extracted from the tooth was 200 million times more likely to be from the natural daughter of Mr and Mrs Mahon rather than from a person unrelated to them.
The tooth was recovered alongside other teeth and bones at the shore of Lough Gill in February 2008.
The trial continues before Mr Justice Barry White and a jury of six men and six women. It is expected to continue for another week.
