Family describe finding chopped up remains of Kilkenny woman Patricia O’Connor while having picnic

The trial in the murder of Kilkenny woman Patricia O’Connor  has heard how a family out for a picnic  found part of her dismembered remains in the Wicklow Mountains.

A sister and brother who were having a picnic with their family in the Dublin mountains have described finding part of the body of 61-year-old Patricia O’Connor in June 2017.

Christine and Jonathan Murphy told the Central Criminal Court that they were having a picnic at the “Old Boley” near the Sally Gap Christine saw something “just over the bank” at the side of the road that looked “like a piece of pig”.

Shortly after the family discovered one of their cars had been broken into and they called the Gardai.

Mr Murphy said his sister pointed out the item to him and he saw it was an “upper torso from the ribs to the neck” with part of the arms.

When Gardaí arrived, they spoke to the family and took photographs of the footwear everyone was wearing.

Christine and Jonathan Murphy’s aunt Breda Kenny gave evidence that she had seen the remains while looking for the stolen handbag.

But she said she had discounted them as animal remains.

Sergeant Brendan Maher described arriving at the scene how he wasn’t expecting to see the remains so close to the road and he would have thought if you were dumping a body, you would have gone further.

All were giving evidence in the trial of 34-year-old Kieran Greene who denies murdering Mrs O’Connor, his partner’s mother, on May, 29, 2017.

Mrs O’Connor’s daughter, Louise, granddaughter, Stephanie and Stephanie’s father Keith Johnston have all pleaded not guilty to impeding the apprehension or prosecution of Mr Greene.

Earlier, a number of gardaí gave evidence of photographing various scenes and items connected with the investigation into the death of Mrs O’Connor, including a shallow grave near Kilmuckridge in Co Wexford and an area near the Dodder River in Tallaght where two hacksaws and a hatchet were found in January 2018.

A doctor gave evidence of identifying human remains at the location and at a number other locations near Military Road in Enniskerry in Co Wicklow.

The court heard Mrs O’Connor was identified through dental records.

The trial will continue tomorrow.