Witness said something would happen to Cork woman 'with the way she was going on'

A witness has told a cold case murder trial that she saw Nora Sheehan waving at cars on the night she went missing 42 years ago and remarked that something would happen to the victim sometime "with the way she was going on".

Noel Long (74) with an address at Maulbawn, Passage West, Co Cork has pleaded not guilty to murdering 54-year-old Nora Sheehan between June 6 and June 12, 1981 at an unknown place within the State. Her body was found by forestry workers at The Viewing Point, Shippool Woods in Cork six days after she went missing.

Joan Holland, who was 19 years of age in 1981, today (Monday) told prosecution counsel that her father asked for a lift to Albert Road, which was near South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital, on the night of June 6 1981.

Ms Holland said her then boyfriend and now husband drove them to the location and that she sat in the front passenger seat. They stopped at the traffic lights in front of the hospital around 8.45pm and the witness could see Mrs Sheehan, who she knew, standing at the junction waving at cars. 

"We obviously said something about it inside the car. I said inside the car that something would happen to her sometime with the way she was going on," the witness told the jury.

Ms Holland said that Mrs Sheehan was well dressed that night and wearing a navy hat and coat. "I think she had a bag. She didn't look as if she was going anywhere, she was just waving," she said. The witness thought Mrs Sheehan was "kind of far away from home" as she was used to seeing the mother-of-three near where they both lived.

Reported Missing

Retired garda Danny Harrington gave evidence that he was in Togher Garda Station on June 9, 1981 when James Sheehan Senior and his son James Sheehan Junior arrived at the station to report Nora missing. "They were very worried as they hadn't seen her since June 6," he said.

Mr Sheehan Snr and Jnr told the witness that they had been informed that Mrs Sheehan was last seen when she attended hospital at 9pm on June 6 to treat a dog bite. Mr Harrington said that Mrs Sheehan's son was very worried that night and had broke down crying. 

"In between then and June 9, Mr Sheehan Jnr returned to the station - he was very concerned," he said.

Retired Superintendent Matthew Thorne (91) told Brendan Grehan SC, prosecuting, that he stopped accused man Mr Long driving a blue Opel Kadett on the Curraheen Road in Bishopstown in Cork on the morning of June 16, 1981. Mr Thorne said he sat into the front passenger seat of the car and directed the accused to drive to the Bridewell Garda Station in Cork city. The Kadett was put into the station yard.

Retired Detective Inspector Colm Dardis (86), who was attached to the ballistics section of the Garda Technical Bureau in June 1981, said he attended the Bridewell Garda Station in Cork on June 16, 1981 to examine a light blue Opel Kadett car. Mr Dardis said the car was in good condition, well maintained and appeared to have been touched up regularly. 

"The inside of the car was well kept and appeared recently cleaned to me," he said.

Mr Dardis said he examined the car and took 44 surface lifts from the inside of the Kadett and its boot.

The trial continues this afternoon in front of Mr Justice Paul McDermott and a jury of eight men and four women.