EAMONN LILLIS and his mistress exchanged more than 200 text messages and almost 90 calls in the fortnight before his wife’s death, his murder trial has heard.
The Central Criminal Court has also heard that he intended keeping his massage appointment with her days after the death and that she intended seeing him at the funeral.
The jury heard evidence from Det Garda Patrick Connell, who examined two mobile phones and three sim cards belonging to Mr Lillis and two phones containing sim cards belonging to Jean Treacy, the massage therapist with whom he was having an affair.
Mr Lillis (52), a TV advertising producer, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Celine Cawley on December 15th, 2008, at their home at Rowan Hill, Windgate Road, Howth.
Ms Cawley (46) died of blunt force trauma to the head after Mr Lillis said he found an intruder attacking her on their patio. He has since admitted that there was no intruder.
Forensic scientist Dr Stephen Doak examined blood spatter and a blood swipe pattern on the reveal of a window on the patio 1.5m to 1.62m from the ground.
“It [the blood spatter] had to have come from something that was already bloodstained receiving force to it,” he said. “The swipe pattern is the result of transfer from a bloodied object wiped across the wall.”
He examined blood on the frame and step of double doors next to the window.
“The staining in my opinion is the result of cast-off from a moving bloodstained object, for example a weapon,” he said.
Under cross-examination by Brendan Grehan SC, defending, he said that it was his opinion that what happened by the window was a separate incident to what happened on the heavily bloodstained patio.
“In this instance it was more than likely something spherical or round rather than acute,” he said of the bloodied object that had been hit close to the window. “It could have been Celine Cawley’s head.”
He confirmed that the blood was Ms Cawley’s and said the radial pattern could have come from her head or hair, wet with blood, making contact with the wall. He agreed that the blood could be consistent with the head having been injured against the sharp edge of the wall.
“But you’d need to have blood coming from the head,” he added. “It arose from a bleeding source.” He agreed that if Ms Cawley’s head hit against that edge, was injured and hit it again, it could cause the blood spatter.
“The swipe pattern could have come from the head swiping the wall,” he said.
He said the blood on the door frame was cast off something narrower though such as a finger or brick.
Det Sgt Fionnuala Olohan said Mr Lillis said he had no comment to make about the bloodstained clothing when she and Det Sgt Enda Mulryan interviewed him.
“I’m under legal advice,” he said in the early hours of December 21st, 2008, at Clontarf Garda station.
“Do you always do what you’re told?” he was asked.
“No, not always,” he replied.
“Did you always do what Celine said?” a garda asked. “I believe she was bossy enough.” He repeated the same answer, adding that his wife was a strong character.
It was put to him that his wife was the breadwinner. “We both were. We were both partners in the business,” he said, referring their production company, Toytown Films.
Det Sgt Mulryan suggested that he was more of a gofer.“That’s very harsh,” replied Mr Lillis.
“She was a founder,” he said, when it was put to him that she made much more money than him. It was also put to him that she took him on when he lost his job.
“She trained me as a producer. I was an art director before that,” he said.
“Was it the case that when she said jump, you said how high?” he was asked.
“No, not always. She’d tell me how to do things at work,” he replied.
He then said it was not entirely true that theirs was a sexless marriage.
It was put to him that he had an appointment for a massage with his mistress four days after his wife’s death and that he intended keeping it.
“Yes,” he replied.
“Is this the action of a grieving widower?” he was asked.
“It wasn’t like that,” he said, explaining that he needed the treatment for his back.
He said that the reason he didn’t keep the appointment was that Ms Treacy wasn’t available. The salon where she worked rang him the night before to let him know. He said that Ms Treacy was the reason that within three hours of his wife’s death, he had concealed a sim card from gardaí.
“I didn’t want her involved,” he said.
“In what?” he was asked.
“My wife was killed,” he replied.
“Did you kill your wife?” he was asked.
“No,” he said.
He said their three homes in Howth, Sutton and France were mortgage-free and he didn’t know what life assurance his wife had.
“What would have happened if Celine went through with the divorce?” he was asked. “Celine never mentioned divorce,” he replied.
The trial continues before Mr Justice Barry White and a jury.