A 40 year-old Kildare woman has been found not guilty of murder by a jury at the Central Criminal Court this afternoon.
After almost five hours of deliberations, the jury of seven men and five women found Ms Helen Vaughan, of St. John's, Eyre St, Newbridge, Co Kildare, not guilty of the murder of her partner Mr Patrick Galvin (50) at their home on July 23rd 2001.
Ms Vaughan showed no emotion as the not guilty verdict was read out but smiled with visible relief when Mr Justice Iarflaith O'Neill formerly discharged her. She left the dock and was surrounded by several delighted family members who hugged and kissed her.
Speaking outside afterwards, Ms Vaughan told reporters: "I don't know how I feel, I'm shocked, I'm just glad it's all over".
The trial sat for four days with the jury failing to reach a verdict on Thursday. They were sent to a hotel by Justice O'Neill that night and resumed their deliberations at 10 a.m. this morning, reaching a not guilty verdict within the hour.
Over the course of the trial the jury heard a history of abusive behaviour and alcohol addiction on the part of thedeceased Mr Galvin, who had been living with Ms Vaughan and her two youngest daughters Marian (9) and Victoria (7) since 1999.
Ms Vaughan also has three older daughters and one grandson. She had been on continuous bail since the incident in 2001.
The court heard yesterday about Mr Galvin's "unusual interest in knives" when drunk and often took knives and hid them in his clothing.
A week before his death Mr Galvin threatened one of Ms Vaughan's family with a knife, prosecuting counsel Mr Michael Counihan SC told the court. Mr Galvin also served three years in prison for cutting the throat of his wife, Ms Ann Hill, with a stanley knife in 1993.
During the trial the court heard that Mr Galvin had been drinking all day long on the day of his death and returned home after 8 p.m. demanding dinner from Ms Vaughan.
A "blazing row" ensued with Mr Galvin shouting foul language and spitting at the accused and her daughter Marian. Mr Galvin goaded Ms Vaughan to "give it to him" and had torn open his shirt. Ms Vaughan told the jury in her evidence on Wednesday that she was trying to pacify him and said "if you want the knife, here's the knife" and poked him in the chest.
"I said to him 'look what you've made me do' and he said you'd better mop up the floor so that's what I did" she said. "I wasn't intending to do anything to him. I didn't realise he was seriously injured. I realised when he started to bleed that maybe he needed a stitch or something. I most certainly didn't mean to kill him" she told the jury.
Summing up on Thursday Mr Justice O'Neill said Mr Galvin had "subjected her to hardship and great indignities without a degree of remorse, being habitually drunk and constantly abusive to her". He quoted one of her neighbour's evidence in court who said that she had "put up with the insults and abuse with great dignity".
The court heard evidence from the state pathologist Dr Marie Cassidy that Mr Galvin died from a single stab wound to the heart.
The jury were thanked for their service and excused from jury service for the next ten years by Mr Justice Iarflaith O'Neill.