A WATERFORD bus driver was yesterday cleared of murdering his wife by a jury at the Central Criminal Court in Dublin.
The jury of seven men and five women took five hours and 20 minutes to find bus driver John O'Brien (41), with an address at Ballinakill Downs, Co Waterford, not guilty of the murder of Meg Walsh (35) on a date between October 1st, 2006, and October 15th, 2006. He had pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The jury retired to consider its verdict on Thursday afternoon, and returned with a verdict yesterday afternoon.
Mr Justice Barry White thanked the jury for its deliberation, and excused the members from further jury service for life.
The body of Ms Walsh, a mother of one, was recovered from the River Suir two weeks after her disappearance. She was naked apart from a heavy gold chain.
She had died from blunt force trauma to the head, and also had severe bruising to her right shoulder, arm and stomach. Several fingers had been broken, and her skull had been cracked.
During the four-week trial the jury heard that Ms Walsh had disappeared after an argument with her husband, who had seen her kissing another man after a night's drinking on September 30th.
Mr O'Brien told gardaí that when he woke up at around 1pm the following day Ms Walsh was still asleep upstairs.
He said he went for a drive to his native Tramore, buying a copy of the Sunday World on the way.
He parked on the promenade and spent most of the afternoon listening to the radio and reading the paper.
He returned home some time after 5pm. Ms Walsh was in the living room watching television. They had further words about the kiss the previous night, before Mr O'Brien went upstairs and watched television.
He said he heard Ms Walsh moving around the house and taking a shower. At around 8.30pm he heard her leave the house and drive off. That was the last time she was seen.
The following day Ms Walsh did not turn up for work at Meadowcourt Homes.
On October 4th her car was found abandoned in a car park next to a pub in Waterford.
There were blood stains on the back of the driver's seat, on the inside and outside of the driver's door, and on the door pillar and the driver's side rear bumper.
Blood had been wiped off the outside of the car and the inside of the boot.
The boot lining and spare wheel cover from the boot were missing when the car was found. When they were located, thrown into the undergrowth edging the car park, they were found to have Ms Walsh's blood on them.
A week later gardaí found two cut-off pieces from the mat and the wheel cover. Both fragments were found to be heavily stained with Ms Walsh's blood.
Her body was recovered from the River Suir on October 15th.