Garda tells court of finding Aoife Phelan’s body buried in barrel

Gardaí found the body of a 30-year-old woman buried in a barrel in Portlaoise, a murder trial has been told.

Sgt Liam Mulhall was giving evidence at the Central Criminal Court in the trial of Robert Corbet (25), Sheffield Cross, Co Laois. He has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Aoife Phelan between October 25th and November 7th, 2012, but has admitted manslaughter.

The court heard the plea of manslaughter was not accepted by the DPP.

Sgt Mulhall said gardaí used a digger to excavate land beside the accused man’s home and found a blue barrel underneath a sheet of plywood.

“When I went down for closer inspection I saw what appeared to be a lady’s shoe and jeans. There was also black plastic. I moved back the jeans and I saw what looked like a human leg.”

'Out of character'
Mother of the deceased, Betty Phelan told the court that concerns had first arisen on November 26th when her daughter was not answering her phone. This was "out of character", she said.

Under cross-examination by Conor Devally SC, defending, Mrs Phelan confirmed her daughter, who worked as a nanny, did not tell her much about her day-to-day life.

“Any place she worked, she never discussed anything about what would have happened in those houses.”

Det Garda Edel Hanley of Portlaoise Garda station told Mr Devally that Aoife Phelan had made a complaint to gardaí in 2005 as a result of an incident where she had sex without her consent.The trial continues before Mr Justice Garrett Sheehan and a jury of three women and nine men.