Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
‘Battle to save Lu Na’
Medics tell murder trial of husband’s reaction
A MURDER trial heard yesterday of efforts to revive mum-of-two Lu Na Mckinney whose body was dragged from Lough Erne.
Dungannon Crown Court, where her husband Stephen is on trial, heard from medics who battled for almost an hour to save the 35-year-old drowning victim.
Mr Mckinney, 44, was also variously described to the jury by doctors and paramedics as appearing tearful, distressed, agitated, upset, and sad and that he continually asked about her condition.
The couple were on a boating holiday in April 2017 with their two children when Mrs Mckinney, according to her husband, fell into the water while checking the ropes mooring their hire-cruiser.
RESUSCITATION
Mr Mckinney, originally from Strabane, who lived with his family in Convoy, Co Donegal, but now with an address at Castletown Square, Fintona, Co Tyrone, denies her murder.
The trial, now in its eighth day, has already heard Mrs Mckinney had been in the water for around 50 minutes before being pulled from the lough and efforts made to revive her.
A paramedic in the ambulance taking her to hospital in nearby Enniskillen said resuscitation, including adrenaline injections, continued.
Shortly before 3am the consultant on call at the hospital decided to call a halt to efforts to revive her.
The consultant agreed with counsel that on breaking the news to Mr Mckinney he “appeared upset”. He added: “He sat down, gesturing with his hands, waving them back and forth in the air .... he was not crying, but said, ‘Why wouldn’t she listen?’”
Another Emergency Department doctor who examined Mr Mckinney said she recollected him telling her “Lu Na went out to check the knots on the boat and hearing a splash he went to check if she was OK” and after being in the water trying to find her, got out and raised the alarm.
She added Mr Mckinney “seemed upset” and while she could recollect him being “tearful” she could not say now “if he was crying”.
AGITATED
Later under cross-examination she said she remembered “him looking upset and sad”, and that she recorded in his medical notes: “Understandably upset as partner had just passed away”.
Earlier a paramedic who transported Mr Mckinney and his two children to the hospital agreed he’d described him as “being distressed and agitated and asking about his wife and how she was”.
He said Mr Mckinney’s clothes were dry and he “seemed to remember him telling me about changing his clothes as he had been in the water”.
Under defence cross-examination the paramedic confirmed Mr Mckinney’s temperature at the time would be considered borderline hypothermia and he repeatedly asked him about Lu Na, but that he was unable to answer his questions.
The trial resumes on Monday.