A Donegal father of four accused of the murder of his estranged wife allegedly told her mother in the months beforehand that "if he had his way he would . . . kill her", the Central Criminal Court has heard.
Kathleen McGrory was giving evidence in the trial of her son-in-law, Gary McCrea (40), of Laghy, Co Donegal, who denies the murder of Dolores McCrea (39), of Ballintra, Co Donegal, on a date unknown between January 20th and 22nd, 2004.
It is alleged that Mr McCrea murdered his wife and mother of his four children and then burned her body.
Mrs McGrory told Mr Paul O'Higgins SC, prosecuting, that her daughter's marriage broke up in August 2003, and Dolores moved out of the family home with her four daughters, who were then aged 18, 14, seven and five.
She said the accused man rang her on one occasion in August 2003 and said Dolores "wasn't a fit mother".
The eldest daughter of the deceased woman, Sharon McCrea (19), told the jury she moved out of the family home in April 2003 with her mother and sisters.
Her mother, she said, worked in a local pub in Ballintra. Initially her mother had full custody of the three younger children, with her father having access to them on a Saturday.
Ms McCrea said her father was later granted joint custody of the children.
Her mother was offered €20,000 as a settlement from her father for the house, which she hadn't agreed to accept.
She said her father asked her to "speak to the health board" and told the court that she was upset by this conversation with her father.
She last saw her mother alive when Dolores McCrea left to go to Donegal to play a game of darts at 7.25pm on January 20th, 2004.
The sister of the deceased woman, Carmel McGrory, said she received a phone call from her niece, Sharon McCrea, at 10am on January 21st, who was worried about her mother as she hadn't come home.
Ms McGrory told the court that her niece rang one of the women on her sister's darts team who confirmed that Dolores had not turned up at the match the night before.
The court heard that they decided to drive to the old family home in Ballybulgin as Dolores had said she was going to call in to her estranged husband on the evening of January 20th to sell him her car.
Ms McGrory told the court that the accused man told his daughter not to worry.
"He said she [ was probably 'whoring around' with somebody," the jury heard.
"I put my hands up and said, 'I don't want to get involved in any family matters but there is her [ Dolores] car'," said Ms McGrory.
She then added that she asked Mr McCrea how her sister got to darts in Donegal town.
He said she took a lift from a car coming up the road, Ms McGrory added.
"After we left Ballybulgin, I rang Mammy and said I felt there was something wrong", Ms McGrory told the jury. At 5.30pm on January 21st, 2004, she telephoned Ballyshannon Garda station to report her sister missing.
The trial continues today before Mr Justice Michael Hanna.