A man accused of murder throttled his Danish wife twice in the days before she was found strangled in their home, a friend of the victim has alleged in court.
Ms Vicky Higgins said Ms Bente Carroll's lips turned purple as he choked her, and he attacked her two days later.
Ms Higgins told the Central Criminal Court that Ms Carroll disguised her injuries as she wanted social workers to return her daughter from foster care.
It was the third day of the trial of Mr Joe Kinsella (47), of Blanchardstown, Co Dublin, who denies murdering Ms Carroll (45), on May 26th, 1999.