Former State Pathologist, Dr John Harbison, has told a murder trial he detected at least 24 blows of a blunt instrument on the head of the deceased.
Professor Harbison was giving evidence at the Central Criminal Court in the trial of Dolores O'Neill (50), accused of murdering her 46-year-old husband, Declan O'Neill on or about July 22nd, 2002.
Ms O'Neill has pleaded not guilty to the murder at their home in Coolamber Park, Knocklyon in Dublin.
On the third day of the trial, Professor Harbison told the court the cause of death was "bruising and laceration of his brain, consistent with multiple hammer blows to the head".
The jury of six men and six women heard evidence of a "large number of lacerations on the head" including one L-shaped laceration, which the Professor said "could have resulted from eight different blows of a blunt instrument".
The Pathologist said there were fractures to the skull and the root of the eye-sockets, bleeding in the skull, in the innermost membrane of the brain, between the brain and the skull and bruising of the brain. These injuries, allegedly from a hammer, resulted in death.
The court also heard of injuries from at least one other weapon. "I counted 21 knife injuries to his neck. The largest wound was five inches long. Injuries on the right side of the neck seem to be carved by a sharper, stiletto type weapon".
Professor Harbison expressed surprise that there were no injuries to the important arteries.
The court was shown a kitchen knife, found bloodstained on the bed and a hammer, found in the shower tray of the ensuite bathroom.
Under cross-examination by Mr Felix McEnroy SC, defending, Professor Harbison agreed all of the injuries, which he said came from the dead man's right side, were consistent with a frenzied attack.
The trial continues tomorrow before Mr Justice Paul Carney.