Ruth Lawrence trial hears a fire was burning at couple's house day after men last seen alive

Alison O'Riordan

A witness has told the trial of Ruth Lawrence, who is accused of shooting a drug dealer and working "as a unit" with her boyfriend to kill him and another man, that a fire was burning at the couple's house the day after the men were last seen alive.

The trial also heard that the witness had helped load four "big stones" or blocks into the boot of Ms Lawrence's boyfriend Neville van der Westhuizen's car later that evening when the couple called to his house.

Ms Lawrence (45), who is originally from Clontarf in Dublin but with an address at Patricks Cottage, Ross, Mountnugent in Co Meath, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Anthony Keegan (33) and Eoin O'Connor (32) at an unknown location within the State on a date between April 22nd, 2014. and May 26th, 2014, both dates inclusive.

Vytautis Bitaris told Michael O'Higgins SC and Jane Horgan-Jones BL, prosecuting, that he lived in Lakeview estate in Cavan town and knew Neville van der Westhuizen.

The witness said Neville had wanted him to do some cleaning or building around Patricks Cottage on the week the two men went missing and asked him for help.

Mr Bitaris said a fire was burning between the house and the sheds when he arrived at Patricks Cottage on the morning of April 23 2014 and he saw bags of rubbish.

The witness agreed with Mr O'Higgins that the couple told him they wanted to rent a boat to go fishing and had asked him to come but he wanted to spend time with his child.

He said Neville and Ruth came to his house on the evening of April 23rd when he was sitting on a seat outside, which was balanced on "two big stones".

He agreed that Neville asked him if he could have the stones for a barbecue but the witness told him there were plenty of other stones around the back and to take them.

He also agreed with the prosecutor that Neville asked him to help load "four blocks" into the boot of his car as he had a bad back. Mr Bitaris then went in the couple's van back to Patricks Cottage.

Mr Bitaris agreed he had told gardai that he knew on the evening of April 23rd that "this was something more serious than cleaning" because the phone would not stop ringing in Patrick's Cottage. "Not even five minutes of peace the phone kept ringing," he said.

"Did you say to gardaí Neville asked you to finish moving or hiding the bodies, did you tell gardai that?" asked Mr O'Higgins. "Maybe I did tell, Neville he didn't ask me," said the witness.

Mr Bitaris went on to say he didn't remember Neville asking him to help move the bodies.

The witness said Ms Marzena Miduchoska called to his house the following day and gave him two tool boxes.

The witness agreed with Mr O'Higgins that either on April 20 or 21 Neville had asked him if he could leave the tool boxes with him for a few days and a laptop, which he agreed to.

Two or three days later Mr Bitaris said he told Neville he didn't want to keep them there anymore and Ms Miduchoska took the tool boxes from him. He said when he opened the tool boxes he saw "weed" and "just metal inside". "I wouldn't call them guns," he added.

Under cross-examination, the defence put it to Mr Bitaris that he hadn't known Ruth very well. "From my memory she all time a good person, I never saw anger or violence," he said.

Polish national Ms Marzena Miduchoska told Mr O'Higgins she first met Neville van der Westhuizen when she lived in an apartment block at Lakeview in Co Cavan. She said Neville lived in the same block and they started going out in 2006.

Neville was working in 'Liffey Meats' in Ballyjamesduff and they moved in together the following year.

Ms Miduchoska said they were in a relationship until 2010 and described it as "a good relationship". She said Neville would smoke "some weed" but would never buy or sell it.

After they broke up, the witness said Neville moved to Dublin and she later found out he had a new partner called 'Ruth', who also lived in Dublin.

Ms Miduchoska said she spoke to Neville in the Lakeview estate in January 2014 and he told her they shouldn't have broken up. She said Neville then called into Mr Bitaris' home as they had known each other for a long time.

The witness said around midnight on a night in April 2014 Neville had rung her doorbell and told her to let him in. She said Neville asked her for help and to keep something. She said Neville had begged her and said it would only be for one day.

The witness said she felt she couldn't refuse him. She said Neville then walked over to Mr Bitaris' house and returned with two plastic boxes, which looked like tool boxes.

Neville gave her the boxes and told her not to touch them and said he would get someone to collect them. She noticed that Neville was stressed and upset.

Ms Miduchoska put the two boxes in her garden shed and didn't look inside them. The next day she opened one of the boxes and saw foil wrapped up with brown tape. She said her impression was that it was drugs.

She also saw a device inside the box that looked like a tattoo pen. She said she had been told that Ruth Lawrence worked as a tattooist.

The witness went to Mr Bitaris' house and said she didn't want the boxes. She said Mr Bitaris later came to her house and took the two boxes from her. When Neville rang her to tell her someone would collect the boxes she told him that Mr Bitaris had already collected them.

Earlier, Ms Horgan Jones read a statement from Garda Edward Jarlath Burke into the record. Gda Burke said he spoke to a person identified in court only as Mr CD.

The garda said he had called to Mr CD's house on May 6th, 2014, but Mr CD did not wish for him to enter the house. Mr CD told the witness he had regular contact with Eoin until he went missing and last saw him on the previous Friday.

Mr CD told the garda that Eoin had called to his house on April 22nd, 2014, but he hadn't seen him as he was sick in bed.

Mr CD said he had met Neville van der Westhuizen on one occasion to buy "coke" off him and that Neville was working for Eoin O'Connor. Mr CD said he found out Eoin was missing from his [Eoin's] brother.

The trial continues on Tuesday before Mr Justice Tony Hunt and a jury of four men and eight women.

In his opening address, Mr O'Higgins said the evidence will be that Mr O'Connor sold drugs to Neville van der Westhuizen, who owed the deceased man in the region of €70,000.

Mr O'Higgins told the jury that the State would argue that Ms Lawrence shot drug dealer Mr O'Connor and worked "as a unit" with her boyfriend to kill him and Mr Keegan, with their bodies later found "bound in rope, tape and covered in tarpaulin" on Inchicup Island on Lough Sheelin.