Friends of a young Co Wicklow woman who was found dead with multiple stab wounds two years ago have told a jury in London that they never knew that she had been involved in a relationship with the man accused of killing her.
A number of friends of Georgina Eager yesterday also gave evidence that they had warned her about an offer made by Christopher Newman, the owner of the alternative therapies clinic in Dublin where she worked, that she should take over the business.
The jury heard that Mr Newman, who in Dublin practised under the name of Prof Saph Dean, had proposed leaving the clinic to Ms Eager in August 2002, just weeks after she had started working there.
The court also heard testimony from friends of Ms Eager that shortly before her death she had been considering plans to either cut down her hours at the clinic or to leave it altogether and travel abroad.
Mr Newman (63) has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Ms Eager on May 22nd, 2003. Her body was found with multiple stab wounds in the bedroom of her flat on St Peter's Road, Walkinstown, next door to the clinic.
Mr Newman, an Indian-born British national, is being tried at the Inner London Crown Court under legislation that allows him to be tried in Britain for an offence allegedly committed in another jurisdiction.
Giving evidence yesterday, Tracy Smyth said that she had met Ms Eager at the University of Limerick.
She said that she learned from Georgina that "the professor", as she called him, had offered her the clinic within a few weeks of her starting there. Ms Smyth said that she was very concerned at this development as it did not make sense to her.
She told Georgina to "check this out as nobody gives anybody anything for nothing".
Andrew Smiler, defending, asked her whether she was aware that in August 2002 Mr Newman had signed an affidavit leaving the clinic to Georgina were he to die or leave the country.
He said that Ms Eager had chosen not to tell her friends that she and Mr Newman were living together.
Ms Smyth said that she assumed that Mr Newman had been living in another part of the building.
Asked directly by Judge Jonathan van der Werff whether Georgina had ever told her that she had been in a sexual relationship with Mr Newman, Ms Smyth replied: "No, she did not".
Angela Browne, another friend from the University of Limerick, said Georgina had never given her an indication that she was living with Mr Newman.
Another friend, Yvonne O'Hara, said she never knew about the nature of Georgina's relationship with Mr Newman but was suspicious that "she was not being told the full story".
Noreen Griffin, a friend, said Georgina had chatted to a man named Ciaran at their table at a charity ball in Punchestown in 2003. She later gave Ciaran Georgina's mobile number.
Two weeks later, on May 21st, she spoke with Georgina on the phone. She told her that Ciaran had subsequently found a message on his phone from "an older, foreign-sounding man" to the effect of "do not call this number again and leave Georgina alone".
Ms Griffin said that Georgina seemed taken aback and said "this is not on".
The trial continues.