A young Co Wicklow woman found murdered two years ago had appeared to be scared of the man who has been accused of killing her, a jury in London was told yesterday.
A client of the alternative therapies clinic in Dublin where the dead women, Georgina Eager, worked, told the court the owner of the facility, Christopher Newman, who is charged with her murder, scolded her and treated her like a child.
Mr Newman (63) has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Ms Eager on May 22nd, 2003.
Gardaí told the court yesterday they had discovered the body of Ms Eager in the bedroom of her flat on St Peter's Road in Walkinstown, next door to the clinic. They found the body lying beneath a duvet with a knife protruding from the back of her neck.
Mr Newman, an Indian-born British national, is being tried at the Inner London Crown Court under legislation that allows him to be tried in Britain for an offence allegedly committed in another jurisdiction.
The prosecution has contended Mr Newman murdered Ms Eager and shortly afterwards fled to London.
The court has already been told that Mr Newman, who was known in Dublin by the name of Prof Saph Dean, had had a personal relationship with Ms Eager.
In evidence yesterday a client of the clinic, Vivienne Nolan, said she believed Ms Eager had been frightened of Mr Newman.
Ms Nolan had attended a course on massage at the facility and while she found Ms Eager to be a brilliant instructor, she said Mr Newman had been arrogant.
"I never would have thought that she was in a relationship with him. I thought Georgina was scared of him. He had quite a dominant character. I had a conversation with her and I said, how do you work with him? But she said that she learned a lot from him," Ms Nolan told the court.
She said that when Mr Newman opened his mouth, Georgina Eager "just jumped".
She said that on one occasion she had witnessed Mr Newman publicly approaching Georgina Eager while she was smoking outside the clinic. She said that he had just addressed her as Ms Eager and that Georgina had said immediately she had to go.
Ms Nolan said that while instructing or treating clients, if Mr Newman did not like what Ms Eager was doing, he would scold her like a child.
Ms Nolan said that on another occasion in May 2003 while in a treatment room upstairs she had heard Mr Newman shouting. Georgina told her it was because a new employee did not have a uniform. She maintained Georgina had also said Mr Newman was anxious she might not come back to the clinic after a forthcoming holiday with her family.
Counsel for the defence, Andrew Smiler, accused the witness of putting the boot into Mr Newman when he was down and maintained that her evidence was coloured by hindsight and by her hatred of his client.
Ms Nolan denied this.
Mr Smiler said Ms Eager had written cards and letters to Mr Newman describing him as a beautiful, inspiring person with an open heart. He said that she was not afraid of him.
Mr Smiler contended Ms Nolan had misreported and misunderstood her conversation with Georgina Eager in May 2003. He said the previous day Ms Eager and Mr Newman had a row in which he had told her she could leave. He suggested Georgina Eager fully intended to return to the clinic after her holiday but was not sure whether Mr Newman wanted her back.
The trial continues.