Graham Dwyer trial: ‘you must be punished for trying to kill yourself without me’

A message Graham Dwyer allegedly sent to Elaine O’Hara in August 2011 said “you must be punished for trying to kill yourself without me . . .”, a jury at the Central Criminal Court has heard.

More than 2,600 text messages were sourced from Ms O'Hara's iPhone and from an 083 number allegedly used by Mr Dwyer, as well as from two Nokia phones recovered from the Vartry Reservoir.

Seán Guerin SC, for the prosecution, outlined messages between the two Nokia mobile phones.

On August 20th and 21st, before Ms O’Hara disappeared on 22nd and while she was still an inpatient at St Edmundsbury Hospital, texts were sent between the two master and slave Nokia phones.

The master phone texted “you must be punished for trying to kill yourself without me . . .” and went on to say he was going to get blood on his knife.

There is a discussion about Ms O’Hara being tattooed. The master also says “if it doesn’t work out this time the way out is through me”.

Ms O’Hara says he doesn’t understand, that “it” can happen quickly.

He responds it has to be him doing it and he is ready for it.

“All you have to do is tell me you want out and then get in to bed and wait, max 12 hours.”

She tells him to forget about it.

“Can’t we just have a normal SM relationship?” she asks. She accuses him of being selfish and then apologises and says she wants to be a good person, slave, friend and have a normal life.

Mr Dwyer (42), an architect from Kerrymount Close in Foxrock, is charged with murdering childcare worker Ms O’Hara (36) on August 22nd, 2012. He has pleaded not guilty.

Ms O’Hara’s remains were found in forestry on Kilakee Mountain, Rathfarnham, on September 13th, 2013.

Mr Guerin, took crime and policing analyst Sarah Skedd through the text messages.

In one text message, Ms O’Hara says she supposes she has a punishment coming up and suggests “bread and water for a week”.

“It’s up to me and you have a big punishment coming up, knife in the guts,” the master says.

He says she will be “bound and gagged and tied to a tree deep in the forest”.

“I have a spot picked out,” he says.

Ms O’Hara says she is not leaving her apartment.

He responds she will do what she is told and that he wants outdoor play.

“I found a really, really remote place no one will find us,” he says.

She asks if she has to be naked and he says she does.

“I don’t want blood all over your clothes,” he says.

She says she is frightened.

“Trust me, it will be exciting,” the master says.

Ms O’Hara asks if she’ll have to drive and he says a bit.

“Now I’m really scared,” Ms O’Hara says.

He tells her not to be, to look forward to being reunited with her master.

At 5pm on August 21st, the master texts: “I’m heading out to the spot now to double check.”

Mr Guerin said the master phone used a mobile phone mast cell site at Fitzwilliam, near where Mr Dwyer worked, to send that text.

On August 22nd, Ms O’Hara sent a message to the master phone saying the hospital was a “pain in the ass” but at least she knew she was safe.

“I’m just so cared, did you know sir, I’m scared of you, you have this hold over me,” she says. She asks that he don’t mention killing for a while, until she has settled back.

He says that is fine, “but tonight’s punishment will be like me doing it for real”.

He said it was important to him that she felt it was real.

“Every time I stab and strangle you I want you to think this is it,” he says, and she should be grateful when he spares her.

She agrees. “Now can we stop talking about it?”

In further texts, the master gives Ms O'Hara instructions, including that she is to have a bath, shave, wear no underwear and loose clothing and footwear for mud. He also tells her to take pain killers. She worries about the pain afterwards and reminds him she has things to do on Thursday, she has volunteered for the Tall Ships Festival.

The master tells her she knows the drill and she will have stab wounds.

“I want you to park at Shanganagh Cemetery at 5.30pm. Leave iphone at home, just bring slave phone and keys,” he says.

Ms O’Hara asks if they will still do it if it’s raining, he says they will and she complains it will be cold.

He tells her its never as bad as she thinks and she shouldn’t be nervous. “Empty yourself and be nothing . . . your job is to be a slave.”

Ms O’Hara asks if she can bring socks and an inhaler and wonders when she’ll be back. She also says she hasn’t had any dinner.

“You should be back in the car at eight,” the master says. “More painful getting stabbed on an empty stomach, suit yourself.”

At 5.22pm, Ms O’Hara texts that she has arrived and the master instructs her to take only her keys and her slave phone and make her way to the park next door and text when she is in the middle of it. She asks if she can take her inhaler and he says she can. He then instructs her to cross the railway bridge into the next path near the cliffs. At one point, Ms O’Hara texts that she is lost and is given more instructions. Then she texts “here” and he gives her more instructions.

The last text is sent from the master at 6pm: “Go down to shore and wait.”

Mr Guerin asked Ms skedd if there was any further contact between those two phones after that.

“No, that was it,” Ms Skedd responded.