DUBLIN PHARMACIST Karen Walsh was yesterday sentenced to life imprisonment for the 2008 Christmas Day murder of Newry pensioner Maire Rankin.
After a 10-day trial at Belfast Crown Court, Walsh (45), who is married with a five-year-old child, was convicted of beating Mrs Rankin to death at her home in Newry, Co Down.
The jury of seven women and five men rejected the case, as outlined by defence lawyer Peter Irvine, that when Walsh left the victim’s home on Christmas morning three years ago, Mrs Rankin was “fine”, and that an unknown male intruder may have killed her.
After less than two hours of deliberations, the jury accepted the prosecution case, as put by Liam McCollum, QC, that Walsh bludgeoned Mrs Rankin to death after visiting her at home at about 11.30pm on Christmas Eve, and that she also sexually assaulted her.
Walsh and her husband, Richard Durkin, an accountant, both worked in Dublin but in November 2007 bought a house adjoining Mrs Rankin’s on the Dublin Road in Newry, so that they could spend time there at weekends.
During the trial Walsh told of how she gained her pharmacy degree at Sunderland College and how she had been married to Mr Durkin for seven years and they had a son. Her pharmacy is on George’s Street in Dublin.
Mr Justice Hart gave the jury three options after completing his direction yesterday afternoon.
Shortly after 4pm the foreman of the jury read out the verdict: “guilty” of murder.
The defendant was quiet and calm during the trial but when she was led from the dock she said to the judge, “I am totally innocent.”
Just a minute earlier the judge told her that the statutory sentence was life in jail but that he would take some time before he decided what minimum sentence she must serve before being considered for parole.
“You should be under no illusion that it will be a lengthy time,” he said.
“What happened on the night was a brutal attack on an elderly and defenceless woman. She was completely defenceless.”
Mr Justice Hart said he would take pre-sentence reports on October 26th and hear pleas on Walsh’s behalf on October 28th.
Mr Irvine replied, “not at this stage”, when asked by the judge would he be submitting a psychiatric report on behalf of Walsh.
During the 10-day trial the jury heard disturbing evidence of how Mrs Rankin was assaulted in her bedroom early on Christmas morning after admitting Walsh to her home.
Evidence was given that Walsh brought a litre bottle of vodka with her, which she had intended for another neighbour, and that while lying at the foot of Mrs Rankin’s bed drank most of the bottle neat from the neck.
The prosecution case was that sometime in the morning Walsh attacked Mrs Rankin, at one stage using a crucifix that was hanging on the bedroom wall to physically and sexually assault her. It was claimed that she forced the crucifix into the face of the victim, making an impress of the crown of thorns from the crucifix on her chin.
It was also claimed that she caused Mrs Rankin to suffer 16 fractures to her ribs.
It was further claimed that the crucifix was used to sexually interfere with Mrs Rankin in order to create the impression that the victim was physically and sexually attacked by a male intruder who entered the house after Walsh left.
During the trial prosecution lawyer Mr McCollum said Walsh was either the killer or the “unluckiest person in the world” if someone else was responsible, such was the extent of incriminating circumstantial evidence against her.