Woman heard arguing on phone in car, murder trial told

The trial of a woman charged with murdering her colleague has heard that a witness noticed a woman arguing on the phone in a car shortly before the accused is alleged to have driven him into a deep harbour, where he drowned.

Paul Hickey was giving evidence to the Central Criminal Court yesterday on the second day of the 29-year-old's trial.

Marta Herda with an address at Pairc Na Saile, Emoclew Road, Arklow, Co Wicklow is charged with the murder of 31-year-old Csaba Orsas at about 6am on March 26th, 2013. The Polish waitress has pleaded not guilty to murdering the Hungarian at South Quay, Arklow.

Mr Hickey testified that he left his home for work around 5.20 that morning. Within five minutes, he walked past a gold or silver Volkswagen Passat parked half on the Wexford Road and half in a parking space. The engine was running, he said.

He explained that this was not something he would usually notice on his way to work. He could generally count the number of cars he would see at that time on one hand.

Argument

“I could see someone in the car alone, on the phone, very animated, like some

argument

was going on,” he said, confirming that the person was female. He said he could see her gesticulating with her hand. He identified himself from CCTV footage captured on the main street.

“It actually sounded like a heated argument,” he said, explaining that the car was travelling very slowly. “I heard a loud voice.”

He learned about the incident at the harbour later that day. “I seen the car that I’d seen that morning had been pulled from the river,” he said. “I contacted the guards.”

Two mobile phones

The jury also heard that a postman found Mr Orsas’ front door open about two hours after the car entered the water.

The court later heard that Ms Herda had two mobile phones, one she used for the majority of her contact with the deceased and one that she used to contact others.

Garda Michael Hall gave details of 10 missed calls from Ms Herda to a mutual acquaintance between 5.06am and 5.17am on the day of the incident. She then called the deceased three times, the final call being at 5.35am and lasting two minutes.

He said that in the 48 hours or so before the incident, Ms Herda called the deceased 12 times; eight of these calls were from her second number. During the same time, the deceased called her 13 times and sent her nine texts. All the calls and seven of the texts were to her second number.

The trial continues.