THE State Pathologist has told the Central Criminal Court it was possible that a mother of six who died from a combination of serious injuries could have sustained them by falling down stairs.
Dr John Harbison said he believed the throat injuries sustained by Ms Doogue were "not typical" of a fall down stairs but agreed it was possible she could have sustained them if she fell down the stairs and lodged against the hand rail.
Mr Stephen Davis (20), of Clonmullin, Athy, Co Kildare, has denied the murder of Ms Doogue (30), of the same address, in Athy on October 20th, 1995. The trial heard Mr Davis was Ms Doogue's partner and the father of her youngest child.
Dr Harbison has said Ms Doogue died from delayed shock due to a combination of subdural haemorrhage, contusion of the larynx, dislocation of the right shoulder and rupture of the bladder.
Cross-examined on the third day of the trial yesterday, Dr Harbison told Mr Barry White SC, defending, that he had found that one of the two most serious injuries sustained by Ms Doogue was a dislocated shoulder. He agreed a fall was a common cause.
On the fractured ribs sustained by Ms Doogue, he agreed he could not rule out the possibility these were caused during resuscitation but he believed there was "ample evidence" to the contrary.
He agreed the dead woman's brain was not particularly swollen and as a result he could not attribute the cause of death solely to head injuries. There was some degree of brain injury but the injury was "survivable", he said.
He said he had concluded Ms Doogue died from delayed shock due to a combination of injuries.
He said Ms Doogue had sustained a ruptured bladder which, while in itself not life-threatening, was indicative of the level of pain which would give rise to shock. The pathologist agreed that moving Ms Doogue downstairs and transporting her in an ambulance would increase the pain factor.
He agreed the case history informed him that Ms Doogue had been drinking for much of October 19th and had been involved in a fight half an hour after midnight. He said the case history informed rather than influenced his findings. He was not informed of the possibility of a fall down stairs.
Mr Patrick Donovan said he saw Mr Davis kicking Ms Doogue, who was on the ground, outside a shop in Athy after midnight on the night of October 19th/20th, 1995. He said Mr Davis was, "kicking her everywhere, real hard" and had kicked Ms Doogue five or six times. She was trying to protect herself, he said.
The witness agreed with Mr White there was "maybe bad blood" between his family and Mr, Davis. He agreed parts of his statement given to gardai soon after October 20th, 1995, were "sort of different" from the evidence he gave in court.
Ms Jane Davis said she was asked by one of Ms Doogue's children, who was sent by Mr Davis, to go to Ms Doogue's home on the afternoon of October 20th, 1995. She saw Ms Doogue in an upstairs bedroom. She had bruises on her face, neck, arms and legs.
Ms Davis said she was shocked and frightened and rang a doctor about 4.40 p.m. She asked Ms Doogue chat happened and she said, a couple of times, that two lads had beaten her at the chapel, the witness said. Ms Davis said Mr Davis was in the room.
The trial, before Mr Justice Budd, continues today.