THIS ALL SAYS TO ME I WENT MAD
Woman accused of Santina murder told gardaí she would never hurt a child
A WOMAN accused of the murder of a two-year-old girl was shown pictures of the bloodied apartment where the child was found injured and told gardaí that all of the evidence seemed to point to her having committed the crime.
The jury at the trial of Karen Harrington, who is charged with the murder of Santina Cawley on July 5, 2019 at Boreenmanna Apartments in Cork, were given the opportunity to view the recording of the fifth Garda interview the accused underwent following the death of the child.
Ms Harrington told gardaí that she ‘couldn’t explain herself’ but that the scene suggested that she ‘went mad’. She said: ‘This all says to me that I went mad.
‘It is looking like I did. I never killed anyone in my life. This is pointing to me. I would never hurt no one – never mind a child. The evidence is all on me. I would never hurt a child. I have been around children all my life.’
Ms Harrington told investigating gardaí that she felt sick looking at the images. Repeatedly sobbing, she emphasised that whilst she couldn’t provide an explanation for what occurred, she didn’t commit a murder. She said: ‘I did not murder Santina Cawley, I did not – I would not harm a child, let alone murder a child.’
Ms Harrington, who was in a relationship with Michael Cawley, the father of the deceased, at the time of the alleged offence, said she accepted that it looked as though all the evidence was pointing at her.
She said that all of the evidence ‘was coming towards me.’
Det Garda David Noonan put it to Ms Harrington that ‘no stone was being left unturned’ in the investigation and that all of the evidence was painting a picture. He asked her to say what she saw in a certain picture and Ms Harrington replied that she could see Santina’s hair on a sofa. When asked how she knew that it was clumps of Santina’s hair, she stated that it was the same colour hair as the child.
‘It is the same colour as her hair. Auburn. It could even be my hair. I don’t know,’ she said.
Shown a picture of a child’s earring on the floor, Karen said that it was Santina’s.
‘Santina had them earrings. I got her ears pierced for her,’ she said.
When Det Garda Noonan asked how the earring was on the floor, she said she didn’t know.
‘I can see where this is all leading but I don’t know,’ she said. She insisted that she didn’t taunt Santina, saying: ‘I wasn’t taunting the child. I weren’t like. I had no reason to taunt the child.’
Det Garda Noonan put it to the accused that Santina had sustained ‘horrific injuries’.
He asked her how hair could ‘come away’ from the head of a child. Ms Harrington said: ‘Oh Jesus Christ’ but insisted she didn’t know how it occurred.
‘I can see where this is all leading’
She refuted the proposition that she had ripped the top off the child or hurt Santina in any way.
The 38-year-old accused, of Lakelands Crescent in Mahon, Cork, told gardaí she had soothed Santina before putting her down on a blanket after she had an argument with her then-boyfriend, Michael Cawley. He left the apartment at 26 Elderwood Park in a bid to meet up with a cousin in Cork city centre, the court heard.
She admitted ‘ranting and raving’ and screaming, and opening and closing a sliding door three times which led to a neighbour knocking on the door and threatening to call gardaí.
Ms Harrington told gardaí that she would give gardaí an explanation of how Santina ended up critically injured if she could.
She said: ‘Everything I said to you is what I remember – I’m in the front room, I wake up and have an argument with Michael and then Michael goes out and I put Santina down and I fall asleep, and when I wake up again Michael is standing in front of me with the child. I was roaring and shouting because I had an argument with Michael – I was ranting and raving to myself after he left.’ She again denied taunting Santina.
‘I had no reason to taunt the child,’ she said. ‘I never in my life harmed no one, let alone a child – I would never harm a baby and I’ve been around children all my life.’
She agreed that all the evidence was pointing to her.
The trial also heard evidence from Inspector David Callaghan, who said that the first four Garda interviews with Ms Harrington involved trying to obtain an account of the knowledge the accused possessed. The fifth interview involved challenging the account of the evidence.
Defence senior counsel Brendan Grehan put it to Inspector Callaghan that his client’s position never changed. Counsel said: ‘She insisted she couldn’t harm anyone, never mind a child. She is a person who doesn’t have a history of violence on the Garda record.’
Inspector Callaghan confirmed that Ms Harrington had no history of violence on the Garda record.
Ms Harrington denies the murder charge. The trial continues in front of Judge Michael McGrath and a jury of seven men and four women. The 12th juror was excused from the jury last week.
‘I had no reason to taunt the child’