A woman sought €5,000 from a married man accused of her murder so she could get an abortion, the Central Criminal Court has heard.
Roy Webster (40), of Ashbree, Ashford, Co Wicklow, has pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to the manslaughter of Anne Shortall (47) on April 3rd, 2015 at The Murrough, Co Wicklow. His plea was not accepted by the State.
The prosecution’s case is that Ms Shortall was beaten to death with a hammer after she told Mr Webster she was pregnant and threatened to reveal all about the sexual encounter they had four months earlier.
On Thursday Stephen Armstrong told prosecuting counsel Paul Murray BL that he received a message from someone named Anne Shortall towards the end of March 2015. The message read: “Tell your mate Roy that I need €5,000 for an abortion.”
Mr Armstrong did not know Ms Shortall and told her she had a “wrong number”. He wished her luck and then deleted the message exchange.
The court heard that there was “name confusion” and that another man, named Steven Armstrong, who knew both Ms Shortall and the accused, received a message from Ms Shortall around the same time.
That message read: “Get Roy to get in touch with me urgently.”
Stephen Armstrong agreed with defence counsel Brendan Grehan SC that “name confusion” is the only explanation for him receiving the message looking for €5,000.
Cigarettes
Two of Ms Shortall’s daughters, Emma and Alanna, said they became concerned about their mother when she left home without her cigarettes and phone that Friday afternoon.
Alanna Shortall described her mother as a night owl who had started drinking after her marriage broke up some years earlier. She was on anti-depressants and had not had a job for some years.
She said it was unusual that her mother would go out on Good Friday because her social life revolved around the local pubs, which were not open.
Alanna Shortall said she climbed in through a window of the house when her mother did not answer the door. Inside she found her mother’s phone and checked her messages.
The most recent text message was from “Ashwood Kitchens” and it read: “Meet at the Leitrim,” which she recognised as a reference to a pub known as the Leitrim Lounge in Wicklow Town.
Her mother had responded: “On my way.”
Alanna Shortall went with her boyfriend to the Leitrim Lounge, which was closed due to it being Good Friday. She saw no sign of her mother. When she tried calling the number for Ashwood Kitchens it went to the voicemail of Roy Webster. She texted the number but got no response.
Gone to London
The following evening she texted again saying: “If you don’t reply I’m bringing your number to the guards.” After that she got a response saying: “All I know is she is going to meet a friend in London. As far as I know she is going out at about 7 tonight.”
Emma Shortall had also tried calling the number for Ashwood Kitchens on the Friday. The first time it went to voicemail from which she also got the name Roy Webster. The second time a man answered and told her she had a wrong number. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said.
Garda Neil Doyle told prosecuting counsel Paul Greene SC that he spoke to Emma Shortall at Wicklow Garda station that Saturday night. She was worried about her mother and told Garda Doyle about the text message from Ashwood Kitchens.
Garda Doyle called the number and spoke with Mr Webster who told him that he had met Anne Shortall “for a few minutes” the previous day and she told him she was going to London to meet a friend.
When asked about his relationship with Anne Shortall, he said he “shifted” her once and then she contacted him out of the blue looking for a relationship.
The trial also heard from Mary Broe, a letting agent who worked for Anne Shortall’s landlord. Ms Broe said Anne Shortall owed €1,840 in arrears and had been served with an eviction notice.
The day before Anne Shortall went missing, Ms Broe received a message from her saying that she had all the money owed and six months in rent to pay in advance. She told Ms Broe she would hand it over the following Tuesday.
The trial continues.