A young woman accused of murdering a teenage mother of two was overheard on her mobile phone asking for "a blade", a witness has claimed at the Central Criminal Court.
Kelly Noble (21), who also has two children, denies murdering Emma McLoughlin (19), who was stabbed to death a outside supermarket in Laytown, Co Meath, in June last year. Ms Noble, from Seaview in Laytown, also denies a charge of unlawfully producing a knife in the course of a dispute or a fight, in a manner likely to intimidate or inflict serious injury.
Deborah Cantwell (19) yesterday told Anthony Sammon SC, prosecuting, that she was working as a shop assistant at Pat's supermarket on the evening of June 2nd when she said she saw Ms Noble and Ms McLoughlin having a row.
"Emma just kept saying 'Why did you kick me when I was pregnant'?" She looked over and saw that Ms Noble's lip was bleeding, but she did not see what caused it. She and her boss asked Ms McLoughlin to leave.
Ms Cantwell said she then saw Ms Noble on her phone. "I heard her asking for a blade or something". She said Ms Noble was in a bad mood and afterwards told her: "I'm going to slice her up."
Miriam Phelan said her partner was Kelly Noble's second cousin. She said she had been leaving the Seaview estate that evening on her way to work when Ms Noble walked out in front of her car and waved her down.
"She said I've done something terrible. I asked her what and she said she had stabbed Emma McLoughlin." She said Ms Noble also told her that she thought she "killed her or something like that".
"She was very shaken by it. She looked very distressed."
She asked Ms Noble where she had got the knife and "she said she sent her friend to get the knife for her".
A number of witnesses who were minors at the time of the incident gave evidence by video link yesterday. A teenage boy said he had been drinking at the dunes in Laytown that day and went up to Pat's shop in the evening where he saw Ms Noble and Ms McLoughlin fighting inside. Later he said he heard Ms Noble say to a woman 'Give me the knife'. He said this was just inside the door of the shop.
He agreed with Michael O'Higgins, defending, that hearing this had troubled him. He went up the road to where Ms McLoughlin was standing and was told by her that she had "boxed Kelly in the nose". He told her Ms Noble was asking for a knife to be handed over and advised her to "leave it out".
He agreed Ms McLoughlin was a headstrong person who was not the type to listen to that advice. He was not surprised to see her squaring up to Ms Noble after she had been given this information.
The trial will continue on Monday before Mr Justice Barry White.