Accused and man ‘acting strangely’ after they found body

The trial of a woman accused of simulating the suicide of her housemate in Co Cavan, has heard she and a man were acting strangely after they found her body.

Gunars Asikis (21) gave evidence in the Central Criminal Court trial of Egita Jaunmaize on Wednesday.

Ms Jaunmaize (34), a Latvian national of no fixed abode, has pleaded not guilty to impeding the apprehension or prosecution of a man, knowing or believing him to have murdered Antra Ozolina (49) or committed some other arrestable offence at The Old Post, Main Street, Kilnaleck, Co Cavan on or about June 27th or June 28th, 2014, both dates inclusive.

The prosecution allege that Ms Jaunmaize did without reasonable excuse place a cord around Ms Ozolina’s neck so as to simulate her suicide.

Giollaíosa Ó Lideadha SC, defending, said on Tuesday his client accepts Ms Ozolina’s death was not caused by suicide and she does not dispute that another named person caused her death.

Prosecution counsel Patrick Gageby SC, on Wednesday called Mr Asikis, who is also Latvian, to give evidence.

He told Mr Gageby that he lived with his mother and his sister in Kilnaleck. His mother worked for a mushroom factory and was friends with the accused.

He testified that Ms Jaunmaize and a man came to his house on Friday, June 2th7, they were drinking and arguing in his front room. He agreed with counsel that when the accused was leaving she was very drunk and could not move much. He said the man was also drunk but he could move.

The court previously heard Ms Ozolina lived in a house with Ms Jaunmaize and this man.

Mr Asikis said Ms Jaunmaize and the man returned to his house at 8am on the morning of Saturday, June 28th. He agreed with counsel that they were acting strangely and the man said Ms Ozolina had killed herself by hanging.

The man asked him not to call gardaí­ so they could talk.

They told Mr Asikis that they had been drinking with Ms Ozolina the previous night and when Ms Jaunmaize woke up the following morning, she saw a light on in Ms Ozolina’s bathroom. She went in and saw two legs and then called this man. Mr Asikis said the man told him that when he went into the bathroom he saw Ms Ozolina’s body and a rope.

The witness agreed with counsel that the accused and the man were arguing that morning in his house and they left the room more than three times to speak alone, which he thought was suspicious.

The man told Mr Asikis to tell gardaí he lived in Dublin and only came to Kilnaleck once a week, which worried him. He agreed with counsel that this man had a lot of money in his wallet on either June 27th or 28th. Mr Asikis said he later went to the Garda­ with Ms Jaunmaize so he could translate for her but the man did not go.

Under cross-examination by Mr Ó Lideadha, defending, Mr Asikis agreed that he was afraid of this man and scared he would hurt his family. He said he was not honest when he made his first statement to the Garda­ as the man was waiting for him “outside”.

The trial continues before Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy and a jury of seven men and five women.