Man pleads not guilty to murder of Nicola
CATHAL O’SULLIVAN HAS PLEADED NOT GULTY; TRIAL TO START TODAY
A MAN has denied the murder of mother-of-three Nicola Collins (38) who was found with fatal injuries in a Cork flat last year.
Charleville-native Cathal O’Sullivan (44) was arraigned before the Central Criminal Court, in Cork, this week and formally pleaded not guilty.
However, the jury sworn in to hear the trial, on Wednesday, was later discharged for legal reasons by Ms Justice Creedon. A new jury will be sworn in today (Thursday) when the trial is scheduled to formally open.
The court was told the murder trial is expected to require two weeks at hearing. Tom Creed SC, for the State, told Ms Justice Creedon that a significant number of witnesses were involved in the case.
The body of Ms Collins was found in an upstairs flat at Popham’s Road, Farranree on Cork’s northside last year. Ms Collins was found with serious injuries when the emergency services were called to the flat which was located directly over a local grocery store.
Paramedics were unable to revive her and she was pronounced dead at the scene.
A MAN has denied the murder of mother of three Nicola Collins (38) who was found with fatal injuries in a Cork flat last year.
Charleville-native Cathal O’Sullivan (44) was arraigned before the Central Criminal Court, sitting in Cork, and formally pleaded not guilty to the murder of Ms Collins.
The young mother, who was originally from Kerry, was discovered unresponsive in a flat at 6A Popham’s Road, Farranree, Cork in the early hours of March 27 2017.
Ms Collins was pronounced dead at the scene before she could be transferred to Cork University Hospital (CUH).
O’Sullivan, who is originally from Charleville in north Cork, was charged with Ms Collins murder before Cork District Court in August 2017.
In response to the murder charge yesterday ( Wednesday) he told Ms Justice Eileen Creedon and the Central Criminal Court jury of eight men and four women he was “not guilty”.
The defendant appeared in court wearing a dark pin-stripe suit, white shirt and grey tie.
The Central Criminal Court jury was told the murder trial is expected to require two weeks at hearing.
Tom Creed SC, for the State, told Ms Justice Creedon that a significant number of witnesses were involved in the case.
The court was told Mr Creed and Ray Boland BL were discussing the witness schedule to facilitate the trial with defence counsel Colman Cody SC and Peter Flynn BL.
However, the jury sworn in to hear the trial was later discharged for legal reasons by Ms Justice Creedon.
A new jury will be sworn in today (Thursday) when the trial is scheduled to formally open.
The defendant did not speak in court yesterday beyond confirming his not guilty plea.
The body of Ms Collins, a native of St Brendans Park in Tralee, Co Kerry but who had been living at Clashduv Road in the Togher area of Cork over recent years, was found in an upstairs flat at Popham’s Road, Farranree on Cork’s northside last year. The discovery was made at around 3am on March 27 after the alarm had been raised by a local resident.
Ms Collins was found with serious injuries when the emergency services were called to the flat which was located directly over a local grocery store.
Paramedics were unable to revive her and she was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Garda investigation was upgraded to a murder probe following a post mortem examination at Cork University Hospital (CUH) by Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster.