A Dublin man accused of kicking his girlfriend to death told gardai the row was over a piece of cannabis wrapped in tinfoil which the gardai found hidden on a shelf, a murder trial jury was told yesterday.
The jury at the Central Criminal Court has been told Mr Laurence Callaghan admitted kicking Janet Mooney to death after they had an argument about £5 worth of cannabis.
Det Sgt John Doyle said that when Mr Callaghan was shown a piece of hash wrapped in tinfoil he said: "That's what it was all about. Where did you find it?"
When told it had been found on a shelf in the bedroom, Mr Callaghan said: "So that's where she hid it. She kept telling me she didn't know where it was." He added: "I just want to say it was that piece of hash that caused the row," the sergeant said.
It was the second day of the retrial of Mr Callaghan (34), from St Mary's Road, Crumlin, Dublin. He has pleaded not guilty of the murder, but guilty of the manslaughter, of Ms Janet Mooney (29), between September 17th and 19th, 1996, at their flat in Harrington Street, Dublin.
Det Insp Declan Coburn said Mr Callaghan admitted during an interview on September 20th, 1996, that he had started kicking Ms Mooney. Later he made a written statement saying he had pulled her hair, shaken her, thrown her on the mattress and then kicked her.
"She seemed to go quiet all of a sudden. I was still ranting and raving. I could see there was blood coming out of her mouth, I thought it was from her nose. She seemed to be playing dead."
At the end of the statement Mr Callaghan allegedly said: "Janet was my best friend and despite all our trouble we loved each other passionately. I will be missing her for the rest of my life. I only hope God will forgive me, and all who knew Janet."
At the start of yesterday's proceedings Mr Justice Carney referred the jurors to a headline in yesterday's Irish Mirror, and reminded them that Mr Callaghan enjoyed a presumption of innocence under the Constitution and the law. They must try the case on the evidence given in court, he said.
The trial resumes on Monday.