A 40-year-old Co Kildare woman was found not guilty of the murder of her partner at the Central Criminal Court yesterday.
After almost five hours of deliberations, the jury of seven men and five women found Ms Helen Vaughan, of St John's, Eyre Street, Newbridge, 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 relief when Mr Justice O'Neill discharged her. She left the dock, and was surrounded by several delighted family members.
Speaking 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. It was sent to a hotel by Mr Justice O'Neill that night, and resumed its deliberations at 10 a.m. yesterday, reaching a not-guilty verdict within the hour.
The jury heard of a history of abusive behaviour and alcohol addiction by Mr Galvin, who had been living with Ms Vaughan and her two youngest daughters, Marian (9) and Victoria (7), since 1999. Ms Vaughan had been on 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.
The trial heard that Mr Galvin had been drinking all day 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. She told the jury on Wednesday 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.
"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."
Earlier Ms Vaughan told the jury how Mr Galvin's behaviour and drink problem deteriorated in the six months before his death. This was exacerbated by the fact that in the weeks prior to his death he was being paid with drink for a painting job he was doing for a friend.
Ms Vaughan spoke of his irrational and insecure behaviour. "In the beginning I used to lend him money, but I never got it back. He would give me £20 or £30 a week which I ended up giving back to him."
Mr Galvin would shout at her friends when they called to the house, and would follow her shopping and accuse her of looking at other men. "In the first year he would beg for forgiveness but do the same again," said Ms Vaughan.
"I couldn't listen to the radio, or read, and I had to go to bed at the same time as him. He didn't like any of the children getting my attention, particularly the younger ones."
When asked why she continued with the relationship, Ms Vaughan said she hoped that "things would get better, and that he would provide a secure home" for her family.
In his closing statement for the defence, Mr Roger Sweetman SC said: "Sometimes you can kiss the frog and it turns into a prince; it didn't happen in this case. Ms Vaughan showed unusual tolerance towards those who were not good to her. This was a misadventure waiting to happen, the author of which, in almost its entirety, was Mr Galvin. The death happened because of Mr Galvin's interest in knives."
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".
The State pathologist, Dr Marie Cassidy, said Mr Galvin died from a stab wound to the heart.