The jury in the trial of a man accused of murdering a 14-year-old girl in Sligo has heard her described by a social worker as very vulnerable and fragile.
Catherine Devaney told the Central Criminal Court that Melissa Mahon was a small girl of slight build and unkempt appearance. She said she last saw the child walking alone along a road on the day she went missing. She said when Melissa's name was called out she ran away.
Ronald McManus, also known as Ronnie Dunbar, (44) of Rathbraughan Park, Sligo, has pleaded not guilty to murdering the schoolgirl on a date unknown between September 14th and 30th, 2006. He also denies a charge of threatening to kill his own daughter during that period.
On day four of the trial, the jury heard from Health Service Executive staff and gardaí who had dealt with the girl in the weeks leading up to September 14th when she absconded from the custody of a social worker. Her remains were found on the shore of Lough Gill in Sligo in February 2008.
Melissa had been taken into care in late August 2006 after running away from her family home nearly three weeks earlier. The jury heard that she was very close to Mr Dunbar and his daughters and spent a large amount of time with them.
Donna McTague told prosecuting counsel Sean Gillane BL that of the 16 nights Melissa was supposed to be housed at Lis na Nog residential care facility she remained there on only eight.
Ms McTague said it was difficult for Melissa to settle or for staff to establish any type of therapeutic relationship with her because of her absences and the amount of time she spent with the accused.
She said that a meeting was called between staff, Melissa and Mr Dunbar on September 6th to work towards reducing the accused's level of contact with the child.
Ms McTague said the accused was asked to wait to be called into the meeting but left after 10 minutes. She said he said that the HSE was unable to look after young people and accused Ms McTague of not supporting her against a 16-year-old boy who he accused of being in bed with the deceased the week before.
Ms McTague said Melissa seemed fearful but left with the accused despite Ms McTague asking her to stay.
The following day a court order was obtained from Sligo District Court under section 47 of the Child Care Act which restricted Mr Dunbar's access to Melissa without prior consent of the HSE.
Ms McTague agreed with Brendan Grehan SC, defending, that staff in the care centre had initially facilitated contact between Melissa and Mr Dunbar, allowing phone calls and arranging for him to pick her up and drop her off.
She agreed that there had been 11 reports to gardai that Melissa was missing from the facility between August 28th and September 13th.
Ria Openhaffen, another social worker at Lis na Nog, said that on September 7th she advised the accused of the court order restricting his access to Melissa. She said he was "very annoyed, very angry" and said "you're stitching me up".
She said that he was angry that the HSE had initially sought his assistance with Melissa and were now asking him to do the opposite.
Garda Adrian Dockery told the court that he dealt with a number of incidents of Melissa going missing. On the afternoon of September 2nd he was called to a wooded area where Melissa and the accused's daughter had run off into the woods in a "giddy" state. Mr Dunbar had called gardaí to help retrieve them.
Gda Dockery agreed with Mr Grehan that it had been mentioned that the girls might have been sniffing gas.
On September 13 Melissa was again missing from Lis na Nog and had been seen at Caltra housing estate. Gda Dockery apprehended her there with another female resident of the facility. He said her forearms had superficial cuts and broken glass was found on her person.
He returned the girls to Lis na Nog where they again tried to run away and then locked themselves into a bathroom. He forced the door open when they could be heard trying to break a window. Melissa was then escorted by gardaí and her social worker to a foster family in Kinlough, Co Leitrim.
Jane McCall told the court that Melissa was brought to her home on an emergency fostering basis on September 13. She described Melissa as a charming, polite and very pretty girl. She said Melissa seemed to relax and settle in her home until she received a phone call on her mobile at 11.30pm.
Mrs McCall said Melissa left her house in her bare feet after that call. Mrs McCall had tried to stop her by grabbing her wrist but Melissa told her she would "have me for assault" and so she let her go.
The jury heard that Melissa showed up at a nearby house after midnight and asked the residents to phone the accused whom she said was her father. The residents called Mr Dunbar and gardai and Melissa was picked up by her social worker.
Ms Devaney told Isobel Kennedy that she was travelling by car into Sligo town before midday on September 14 and she saw Melissa walking away from town alone in the direction of the Rathbraughan Estate. She stopped the vehicle and her colleague, Judith McLoughlin, got out and shouted Melissa's name but she ran off.
Ms McLoughlin went through the facility's record of Melissa's disappearances from Lis na Nog. She often left in the middle of the night through her bedroom window and would refuse to say where she had been upon her return.
Ms McLoughlin said that on the night of September 12th to 13th Melissa was found by gardaí in a house in Caltra in a bed with three young men. Under cross examination by Mr Grehan she said "that would be very concerning, yes".
The trial continues before Mr Justice Barry White and is expected to continue for a further four weeks.