Arklow murder accused says colleague died due to ‘love for me’

A woman accused of murdering her colleague by driving him into a harbour, where he drowned, told gardaí he was dead because of his love for her.

Memos of the waitress's garda interviews were read to the Central Criminal Court on Thursday.

Marta Herda (29), of Páirc Na Saile, Emoclew Road, Arklow, Co Wicklow, is charged with the murder of Csaba Orsos (31) on March 26th, 2013. The Polish woman has pleaded not guilty to murdering the Hungarian man at South Quay, Arklow.

They both worked at Brook Lodge Hotel in Aughrim and the trial heard Mr Orsos was in love with her but she did not feel the same way.

Both had been in Ms Herda’s car when it went into the water that morning. Ms Herda escaped at the harbour but Mr Orsos’ body was found on a nearby beach.

Det Sgt Fergus O’Brien told the court he arrested Ms Herda at her home on August 2nd, 2013. He and a colleague interviewed her at Wicklow Garda Station.

The statement of a man working at the harbour was put to her. He had described the speed of a car he heard as ‘pedal-to-the-floor stuff’.

“Yes, I was stressed and nervous,” she said, when asked if the car was going fast. “I didn’t want to drive there. It was an accident,” she said, explaining that they had been arguing in the car.

“I couldn’t understand what he was saying and then, boom,” she said, denying that she had driven into the water deliberately.

‘Didn’t want to die’

Ms Herda denied driving recklessly and said she would not hurt anyone. “I could have killed myself. I didn’t want to die. I have a family,” she said.

She said she wished Mr Orsos was still around as it would be easier to explain what happened.

Ms Herda said his attention was too much for her sometimes and she agreed that she was angry with him when she drove to the harbour that morning.

She was shown CCTV footage of her car travelling through Arklow at 5.28am on day Mr Orsos died.

She was asked how many people were in the car.

“One,” she replied, adding that she did not know where Mr Orsos was.

“You told us he got into your car at your house,” said the gardaí.

“I don’t know,” she replied.

Phone records were put to her, showing that she had called the deceased at 5.20am. “I was ringing him to make him feel better,” she said.

Ms Herda agreed that she had “probably” called him at 5.35am to come out to her. She was asked what she had done to make him go to her. “I didn’t have to do anything. He came to me,” she replied.

Ms Herda agreed that she knew Mr Orsos could not swim.

Light clothes

She said she did not know why the driver’s window was open and she was wearing light clothes when it was snowing. She agreed she had heard it was impossible to open a door underwater.

“Would you agree that Csaba Orsos is dead because of your criminally dangerous act?” she was asked.

“He is dead because of his love for me,” she replied.

The trial heard earlier that the handbrake had been applied before the car entered the water and that the only open window was the driver’s.

Forensic Collision Investigator Garda Cliff Harding testified that he examined a dark skid mark on the quay the day after the incident. He provided a number of photographs of the mark to the jury.

He described it as a ‘locked tyre mark that would be caused by emergency braking’.

“If one had applied the pedal brake, you would not get a mark like this,” he continued, explaining that the car’s ABS braking would stop the wheels from locking, preventing such a mark.

“My conclusion is that the hand brake was applied,” he said.

The trial continues on Monday.