Courts

Prison officers tells transgender woman’s trial he heard her threaten fellow inmate

Aiden O’Meara says he has ‘no doubt’ threat by Barbie Kardashian (22) ‘was made with malice and forethought’

Prosecution counsel John O’Sullivan BL said that all of the alleged threats were made inside Limerick Prison. Photograph: Alan Betson
Prosecution counsel John O’Sullivan BL said that all of the alleged threats were made inside Limerick Prison. Photograph: Alan Betson
David Raleigh
Tue Oct 22 2024 - 18:47

A prison officer has told the trial of a transgender woman that he heard her threaten to rape and kill a fellow inmate at Limerick Prison last year.

Prison officer Aiden O’Meara said he heard the accused, Barbie Kardashian (22), threaten to rape and kill Tegan McGhee on February 25th, 2023.

“She [Barbie Kardashian] threatened to kill her [Tegan McGhee], and she threatened to rape her with an implement and leave her in such a way that she could not have children,” Mr O’Meara alleged during the hearing on Tuesday at Limerick Circuit Criminal Court Court.

“I have no doubt that the threat was made with malice and forethought,” he told the trial.

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Mr O’Meara said Barbie Kardashian later confirmed to him that she had meant the threat.

Mr O’Meara said she told him: “Yes, I did say that, I meant it, and if I get the chance, I will carry it out. She [Tegan McGhee] deserves to be punished.”

He said Ms McGhee was “visibly shaking, crying and clearly upset” afterwards.

He said that he and an assistant chief officer at the prison on the day conducted a “welfare check” with Ms McGhee in her cell afterwards “to assure her that no harm would come to her”.

Mr O’Meara said Ms Kardashian issued the threats after she asked Ms McGhee if she had complained about her to prison officers for allegedly leaving the prison showers dirty.

Ms Kardashian was not permitted to mix with the other three women on the Echo-1 (E1) wing at the prison, the court heard.

Earlier, Ms McGhee gave evidence that she had a cleaning job on the E1 wing which included cleaning the floors and washing the prisoner’s shower room.

Ms McGhee said there was an “ongoing issue” with “hair” on the walls of the shower area.

She said Barbie Kardashian arrived outside her closed, locked cell door, and through the door, asked her if she had accused her of leaving the showers dirty.

Ms McGhee said she told Ms Kardashian she had complained about her to prison officers in respect of the showers.

She said the accused then threatened to rape her.

“I was kind of in shock, and I pressed the emergency button in my cell for the officer to come to the door,” Ms McGhee continued. “I know her [Barbie’s] voice, she was the person who said it, it’s not really an Irish accent, it’s a sort of American accent, not Irish.

“I was extremely shocked and upset and disgusted that someone could say something like that.”

Under cross examination from senior defence counsel Andrew SextonMs McGhee agreed she had never actually met, seen nor spoken to Barbie Kardashian before their alleged exchange on the day.

Catherine Halley, a supervising prison officer on the female prison wing on the day, gave evidence that on the afternoon in question she heard some of the prisoners discussing “the state of the showers”.

Ms Halley said she observed Ms Kardashian coming from the shower room and stopping outside Ms McGhee’s cell. The witness said she heard Barbie Kardashian ask Ms McGhee had she accused of her leaving the showers dirty.

She said she then heard the accused threaten to rape Ms McGhee.

Ms Halley said after this she and Mr O’Meara went out on to the landing and directed Ms Kardashian “to go back to her cell, and she did”.

On Monday, prosecuting barrister John O’Sullivan told the jury that Ms Kardashian was born a male named “Gabrielle Alejandro Gentile, to Venezuelan parents in Co Meath” and currently identifies “as a female”.

Mr O’Sullivan said that in 2020 the accused changed her name to Barbie Kardashian by deed-poll “and successfully applied for a gender recognition certificate, and changed from male to female on the 18th of August, 2020.”

Ms Kardashian has pleaded not guilty to threatening to kill or cause serious harm to Ms McGhee in February 2023. She has also pleaded not guilty to a further three charges of threatening to kill or cause serious harm to Roisin Linnane, who was working asa prison officer at Limerick Prison on dates in 2023.

The trial continues on Wednesday.