A 51-year-old Englishman told a garda he had killed his wife and that her body was lying in a hotel room in Carrick-on-Suir, Co Tipperary, a murder trial jury heard yesterday.
When arraigned, Mr John Collinson, a British national with an address at Goes in the Netherlands, pleaded not guilty to the murder of his wife, Ms Margaret Collinson (51), at the Bell and Salmon Arms Hotel, Carrick-on-Suir, on March 3rd, 2002.
Garda Seán Buckley told the Central Criminal Court that he was returning to the Garda station in a patrol car at approximately 2 a.m. on March 3rd when he noticed a man standing outside the station.
When he approached him and asked if he was alright, he replied: "I'm only going to say this once and once only, Room 101, the Bell and Salmon Hotel. I've just killed my wife, check it out." He then handed Garda Buckley a hotel key with room 101 on it. Garda Buckley told the jury he noticed some blood on the end of the man's denim jacket and some blood spatters on his pants. He also noticed three scratches on the right side of his face and down his neck.
Under cross-examination, Mr Patrick McCarthy SC, asked the witness if the accused appeared upset or distressed outside the Garda station. "No," Garda Buckley replied.
The court heard the accused worked abroad on oil rigs. He flew from Amsterdam to Cork on February 25th and checked into the Bell and Salmon Arms. The jury heard that one of the primary issues was whether the accused planned to kill his wife.
The State's case is that "there may have been a degree of pre-mediation, preparation and planning". The trial continues today.