A Malaysian man accused of strangling his ex-girlfriend's mother slashed his wrist and dived into the River Liffey in Dublin when gardaí approached him on the day she was attacked, a murder trial jury at the Central Criminal Court heard yesterday.
The court heard Mr Haw Yong Lamhin (21), Castle Lawns, Tallaght, Dublin, was rescued from the river by gardaí on August 22nd, 2002, and later charged with the murder of Ms Mook Ah Mooi (49).
Mr Gerard Clarke SC, prosecuting, told the court Ms Mooi, also a Malaysian national, was found strangled with a cord or string in the Castle Lawns home she was sharing with Mr Lamhin, two of her daughters and another five members of her extended family.
On Monday, Mr Lamhin pleaded not guilty to Ms Mooi's murder, but guilty to manslaughter.
However, the plea was not accepted by the prosecution.
The court heard Mr Lamhin and his girlfriend, Ms Fui Ling Pang, had been sharing a bedroom with Ms Mooi at the house.They slept on the floor and she slept on the bed.
Ms Pang's brother, Mr Fook Keong Pang, told the court through an interpreter that Mr Lamhin and Ms Mooi had "got on pretty well" and he confirmed Mr Lamhin and Ms Pang had split up some time before Ms Mooi's death.
Ms Mooi was found lying on the floor in the kitchen of the house with blood around the corner of her mouth and a cord or string was found around her neck, the court heard.
She was taken to hospital and although her heart was restarted, she never emerged from a coma and died on August 24th.
The court heard Ms Mooi was found by her sister who had come to visit.
The sister, Ms Mok Chu Hua, said Mr Lamhin had left the house after she had arrived but before her sister's body was discovered.
He caught a taxi to Burgh Quay in an "agitated" state and got out without paying the fare before plunging into the Liffey when approached by gardaí, the court heard.
Garda Pat Casey (27), told the court he entered the water and rescued Mr Lamhin, who had slit his left wrist and was resisting his attempts to save him.
He arrested him at the river's edge after stripping him of a six-inch kitchen knife he was carrying.
Mr Justice Kevin O'Higgins praised Garda Casey for the rescue and commended him to his superiors.
The trial before Mr Justice O'Higgins and a jury of six men and six women continues today.