Rachel O'Reilly murder trial:Joe O'Reilly, who is accused of murdering his wife at the family home, left a letter in the coffin asking her forgiveness, a jury in the Central Criminal Court was told yesterday.
Mr O'Reilly (35), Lambay View, Baldarragh, The Naul, Co Dublin, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Rachel O'Reilly (30), the mother of their two children, at the family home on October 4th, 2004.
Garda photographer Liam Lynham told prosecuting counsel Dominic McGinn that after Ms O'Reilly's body was exhumed in March 2005, he was sent to take photographs. He said gardaí found a five-page letter from Mr O'Reilly in the coffin and that he took photographs of it.
The letter, dated October 8th, 2004, read: "Rachel, I love you so very very much. I can't think of what to do without you. You're the best thing that ever happened to me. This is the hardest letter I've ever had to write, for reasons only we know.
"Rachel, forgive me. Two words, one sentence. I'll say them forever."
The letter went on to describe how Mr O'Reilly still sees and hears "Rachy-face".
"Everyone loves you now and always will," he wrote.
It continues: "I'm sorry about your Mum finding out about Teresa . . . but please know it wasn't my fault."
He added: "I miss you so much Rachy. You went away from this world so very young . . . You went away like Peter Pan . . . Everyone misses your mad personality." The letter also wishes her a "Happy 31st".
"You're no doubt having the best wine, best ciggies and I'll miss you."
Finally, the letter ends with goodbyes from their two children: "Love you Mammy, Luke. Love you Mammy, Adam."
After lunch, Mr Justice Barry White was forced to discharge a juror after it emerged she had made comments about a rumour she had heard to another person during jury selection.
The comments were discovered when Eric Gorman, a member of the jury panel who was not selected, phoned the jury office in the Four Courts to inform it of the conversation he had had with the juror before she was sworn in.
Mr Justice White asked Mr Gorman to come to court, and in the absence of the jury, he told them of the conversation he had with the woman during the jury-selection process.
When the jury returned, this man identified the juror in question and she confirmed to the judge that she had been speaking to Mr Gorman.
However, she claimed her comment was not her own opinion but rather that it stemmed from rumours she had heard at work.
Mr Justice White told her: "In discharging you, my actions in so doing are not intended to reflect on you as a juror and they should not be interpreted as referring to you as a juror."
But he said: "The 'presumption of innocence' is not a phrase to which the jury must pay lip service."
He added: "I have no doubt that you would have taken to discharge your function as a juror but there's always the risk you might have been subconsciously influenced by rumour."
Mr Justice White commended Mr Gorman for having a "civic-minded approach" to this matter. "It's very important that justice not only be done, but is seen to be done," he said.
Earlier, the judge warned the jury to avoid media reports of the case due to the extent of media coverage it was sure to receive.