THE former partner of Ms Imelda Riney told the Central Criminal Court yesterday Mr Brendan O'Donnell had said to him on the day before the bodies of Ms Riney and their son Liam were found, that they were all right and would be freed.
Mr Val Ballance said he was asked to go to Loughrea Garda station on May 7th, 1994. He saw Mr O'Donnell in custody at the station. He had shaken hands with Mr O'Donnell, who had expressed surprise that he would do so. Mr Ballance said he had told Mr O'Donnell: "We are all victims in this."
He said there was a garda in the room and he had asked Mr O'Donnell if he wished him to leave. Mr O'Donnell had indicated he did.
Mr Ballance said Mr O'Donnell knew who he was but he could not recall how or if they had been formally introduced. He had never met Mr O'Donnell before. He had asked him if Imelda and Liam were OK. "He said he wanted me to know he hadn't raped Imelda and they were both OK."
Mr O'Donnell had said Imelda and Liam were not in the area at all, which Mr Ballance understood to mean Co Clare. Mr O'Donnell had said there were two others involved with him and they were armed. He said he had last seen Imelda and Liam the previous Wednesday - four days earlier.
Mr Ballance said Mr O'Donnell had assured him that if Imelda and Liam were not released that night that he would tell Mr Ballance where they were either that night or the following day. Mr O'Donnell had said the whole idea was "to extract money from me", Mr Ballance said.
Cross examined by Mr Patrick MacEntee SC, defending, he said he had not been approached for money at any stage after Imelda band Liam went missing.
He said he had made notes of their conversation but it was not a full note and might not be in the correct sequence. He said he had decided before going in to see Mr O'Donnell that he would not be in any way confrontational. He had believed Mr O'Donnell would tell him where Imelda and Liam were.
Dr Louise McKenna, a forensic scientist, said she had examined items of clothing from the three people from defendant as well as a number of blood, hair and other samples. She had also taken sellotape lifts from the bathroom window of Father Walsh's house.
She said the presence of numerous and different type fibres on Imelda Riney's clothing which matched Mr O'Donnell's jacket and sweatshirt strongly supported the allegation he was in contact with Ms Riney.
The absence of fibres on Father Walsh's clothing did not support the suggestion of significant contact between the priest and Mr O'Donnell.
The presence of fibres in the sellotape lifts from Father Walsh's bathroom windowsill and curtain supported the suggestion that Mr O'Donnell was in contact with the window, she said.
Dr McKenna agreed with Mr MacEntee that the presence of fibres on Ms Riney matching Mr O Donnell's clothing fell into insignificance in the light of Mr O'Donnell's admission that he "had sexual intercourse" with Ms Riney.
The trial resumes on Monday.