Accused insists she had no part in attack

THE woman on trial for murdering a father-of-four in Clogher four years ago has insisted she played no role in this or the clean-up of the bloodied scene in the aftermath of the savage attack.

At Dungannon Crown Court on Friday, Karen Marie McDonald (37), of McCrea Park, Clogher, spent a second day in the witness box giving evidence about the night of Mr Ward’s death. She denies his murder, as well as two recently-added, alternative charges of manslaughter and assisting an offender.

Her partner, Niall Cox (27) initially also denied murder, but later pleaded guilty, and is currently awaiting sentence.

Mr Ward’s badly injured, half-naked body was dragged by Cox and abandoned in an alleyway where he was found deceased on February 9, 2019.

McDonald said that, on the night in question, Cox and Mr Ward were drinking together in her home.

Mrs Ward called at the door looking for her husband, but he ran upstairs.

After she left “Pat came downstairs … Niall went into the kitchen. Pat walked over and leaned down to me. I thought he was trying to kiss me, but he was drunk so I told him to f*** off… Niall saw this and asked what the f*** was going on?”

She contended Mr Ward struck Cox, causing him to fall but, “He retaliated. Niall was on top of Pat. He got the better of him, punching and punching and punching.”

‘NO HEED’

McDonald ran upstairs in fear, shouting at both men to stop fighting but, “They didn’t take no heed of what I was saying.”

Things “went quiet” and she observed Mr Ward sitting against a wall, wearing just shorts, “With a lot of blood on his face. I asked if he was okay. Niall asked what the f*** I was talking to him for and told me to get the f*** back upstairs.”

She confirmed Mr Ward could talk at that stage, but insisted there wasn’t an opportunity to have told him to get out after the alleged kiss-incident, as, “It all happened so quickly.”

After a time, McDonald claimed she saw Cox dragging Mr Ward, unconscious, toward the front door.

“He trailed him down the front steps. Pat was making moaning noises. He was trying to talk. I didn’t want him getting dragged. There was no talking to Niall by this stage, so I voluntarily lifted Pat’s legs. I believed he was going home. I meant him no harm. If anything, I was trying to help him.”

Asked who prevented this McDonald replied, “Niall Cox told me to get the f*** back in the house and I did. He’d probably have done the same to me or worse.”

‘PETRIFIED’

While acknowledging she should have helped and should have rung an ambulance and police, “I was absolutely petrified of Niall and was under his control so, so much.”

McDonald was asked why items of Mr Ward’s clothing were discovered in a field, to which she said, “I’ve no idea. I didn’t put them there.”

She also denied putting any clothing in the washing machine.

While she accepted there was forensic evidence consistent with the bathroom being cleaned of blood, and a mop, bucket and Brillo pad were found in the bath, she insisted taking no part in this stressing, “I don’t know who cleaned up the house.”

Questioned on why she initially told police Mr Ward had cleaned up, she claimed not to have understood this to mean blood and thought she may have referred to a general spillage earlier in the night. In concluding, McDonald repeated she never harmed Mr Ward at any time.

The trial resumes this week.