THE TRIAL of the man charged with the murder of Swiss student Manuela Riedo in Galway city 17 months ago is due to open today in the Central Criminal Court in Dublin.
Gerard Barry (27), a native of Mervue, with an address at Rosan Glas, Rahoon, Galway, is charged with the murder of Ms Riedo (17) at Lough Atalia, between October 8th and 9th, 2007.
Ms Riedo’s body was found on waste ground close to Lough Atalia by a man walking his dog at 9.30am on October 9th, 2007.
Ms Riedo, a native of Wohlen, a suburb of the Swiss capital, Berne, had been in Ireland for just two days and was registered on an English language learning course.
Ms Riedo was an only child, and her death prompted an outpouring of grief and sympathy in Galway.
The Irish Ambassador to Switzerland James Sharkey and then mayor of Galway, Cllr Tom Costello, were among a number of Irish representatives at her funeral in Switzerland.
Her parents Hans and Arlette Riedo visited the scene of her death in January, 2008.
:quality(70)/s3.amazonaws.com/arc-authors/irishtimes/13e684a8-3abb-448a-9ed3-dca27c980495.png)