THE JURY in the Melissa Mahon murder trial has heard that there was contact between the accused’s mobile phone and the girl’s mobile on the day she went missing from the care of the Health Service Executive.
Memos of gardaí interviewing Ronald McManus were read into evidence by the prosecution on the 20th day of the trial. In the interview it was put to Mr McManus that Melissa was in mobile phone contact with him six times on the morning of her disappearance.
Mr McManus told Det Sgt Peter Kelly, during his arrest and detention in Sligo Garda station in April 2008, that he was not in touch with Melissa and that his daughter Samantha may have had, or stolen, his phone.
Mr McManus (44), also known as Ronnie Dunbar, of Rathbraughan Park, Sligo, has pleaded not guilty at the Central Criminal Court to murdering 14-year-old Ms Mahon in September, 2006. He also denies threatening to kill one of his daughters Samantha Conroy.
Sgt Kelly said there was a series of mobile phone communications between Melissa’s phone and the accused man’s phone on the morning of September 14th, 2006 – the date she was reported missing – but the accused denied that he made or received them. He was asked if his daughter Samantha used drugs and replied “yes, for a fact”. He was then asked if he loved his daughter and replied, “No”.
Mr McManus agreed during the interview that he had gone to the Sligo Weekender newspaper. He said he had done so because of the number of articles that had been published about him in the media, especially the Sunday World.
He denied he killed Melissa and while he refused to comment on the detail of the statement made by his daughter, he described it as “a fairytale” and said it contained truths and lies. Det Insp John O’Reilly told Isobel Kennedy SC, prosecuting, that Mr McManus was arrested on April 10th, 2008 and charged with the murder of Melissa the following day.
He told Brendan Grehan SC, defending, that Mr McManus was taken from Sligo Garda station to the District Court by car even though it was directly across the road as “a number of people were congregating in front of the court house and it was not appropriate, safe, or in his best interests to walk across”.
Garda Pat Conway told the court that in the months following Melissa’s disappearance he would call to Mr McManus’ home up to three times a week to ask the accused if he knew anything about the girl. Garda Conway said: “He always said he’d make an effort to find her.”
The jury earlier heard that Melissa went missing from the care of the HSE on September 14th, 2006. Her remains were found on the shore of Lough Gill in Sligo after Ms Conroy made a statement to gardaí in February 2008. The trial continues.