Woman accused of boyfriend’s murder had bite on her nose previously, court told

The trial of a woman charged with murdering her boyfriend has been told that she had arrived “frantic and distressed” to a friend’s house with a bite on her nose earlier in the relationship.

The 48-year-old mother of two has said that she was acting in self defence when a knife she was holding caused a fatal stab wound to Audrius Pukas.

Inga Ozolina, originally from Latvia, but with an address at Old Court Church, Mountrath, Co Laois, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Mr Pukas at The Malthouse, Roscrea, Co Tipperary, on November 20th, 2016.

The Central Criminal Court has heard that the 40-year-old father of two died at the scene from a stab wound to his chest.

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Niamh Hyland testified for the defence on Thursday morning. She told Caroline Biggs SC that she had been friends with Ms Ozolina for the past 10 years and that they had been neighbours for part of that.

She said Ms Ozolina had arrived, banging at her front door, in the early hours on two occasions while the accused was living with Mr Pukas.

“There was blood on her nose and she was quite frantic,” she said of the first occasion.

“She stayed with us for a couple of hours. She was quite distressed and wanted to make sure that the house was secure,” she continued.

“There was a bite on the bridge of her nose and her nose was bloody,” she added.

She said she arrived under similar circumstances a week or two later.

“This time she had a swollen eye,” she said.

Ms Hyland said she had been in the home of the accused and deceased many times.

“His interactions with her were often quite aggressive,” she said.

Both the prosecution and defence have now closed their cases. The trial continues with closing speeches on Thursday afternoon before Mr Justice Alexander Owens and a jury of seven men and five women.