A jury at the Central Criminal Court has heard that a father of four begged for mercy during an attack by his wife and his daughter's fiancé.
Westmeath Bernard Brian McGrath's remains
exhumed in 2008
Veronica McGrath told the court that her mother, Vera McGrath, hit her father, Bernard Brian McGrath, with a lump hammer.
She also said her mother gave her fiancé, Colin Pinder, a slash hook and a monkey wrench.
Vera McGrath and Colin Pinder have both pleaded not guilty to the murder of Mr McGrath between 10 March and 18 April 1987 at Coole in Co Westmeath.
Mr Pinder has pleaded guilty to manslaughter but that plea has not been accepted by the State.
Veronica McGrath said her mother came to the caravan in which they were living on a night at the end of March or beginning of April 1987.
She said her mother told her future son-in-law that she wished her husband was dead.
The woman said her mother told Mr Pinder that he would not be man enough to kill him.
She told the court Mr Pinder said he had the very thing and produced a spanner and he said one blow would be enough.
Veronica, Colin Pinder, and her mother and father all walked back to the McGrath family home.
Veronica McGrath told the court Mr Pinder hit her father on the back of the head with the spanner. She said her father fell to the ground.
She said she also saw her mother come out of the house with a slash hook and a monkey wrench, which she gave to Mr Pinder.
Veronica McGrath said she saw Colin Pinder hit her father on several occasions with the slash hook and that her father was saying 'have mercy on me'.
She said she also saw her mother hit her father with what she thought was a lump hammer. Her mother and Colin were laughing at the way she hit him, she added.
She also recalled seeing her father lying very still and said she saw her mother bring a blanket out of the house.
Her mother and Mr Pinder carried her father up the garden in the blanket and she never saw him again, the court heard.
Court hears of domestic abuse
Under cross-examination by lawyers for Vera McGrath, Veronica said she had a good relationship with her father and never had any cause for complaint against him.
She denied that she had ever told a doctor about recurrent and recent assaults by her father.
However, she admitted that she had seen her father hit her mother on some occasions and she had once complained to a local grocer about her father.
She said her father was very, very angry and was hitting her brothers.
Veronica said that her mother had left home on a number of occasions to go to women's refuges in Dublin and Athlone.
The court heard that there were no difficulties between her father and Mr Pinder and that their relationship was okay.
She said when her mother came to the caravan on the night her father died, her mother was fed up.
Veronica said she could not remember her father coming to the caravan and saying he had bought a new axe or hatchet and passing a remark about applying it to her mother's head.
She said she said nothing when her mother said she wished her father was dead because her mother had said it on many occasions.
Veronica agreed she was a passive witness to what had happened. She agreed that despite seeing her father killed in horrific circumstances, she went on to marry Mr Pinder a very short time later.
The trial continues....
Westmeath Bernard Brian McGrath's remains
exhumed in 2008
Veronica McGrath told the court that her mother, Vera McGrath, hit her father, Bernard Brian McGrath, with a lump hammer.
She also said her mother gave her fiancé, Colin Pinder, a slash hook and a monkey wrench.
Vera McGrath and Colin Pinder have both pleaded not guilty to the murder of Mr McGrath between 10 March and 18 April 1987 at Coole in Co Westmeath.
Mr Pinder has pleaded guilty to manslaughter but that plea has not been accepted by the State.
Veronica McGrath said her mother came to the caravan in which they were living on a night at the end of March or beginning of April 1987.
She said her mother told her future son-in-law that she wished her husband was dead.
The woman said her mother told Mr Pinder that he would not be man enough to kill him.
She told the court Mr Pinder said he had the very thing and produced a spanner and he said one blow would be enough.
Veronica, Colin Pinder, and her mother and father all walked back to the McGrath family home.
Veronica McGrath told the court Mr Pinder hit her father on the back of the head with the spanner. She said her father fell to the ground.
She said she also saw her mother come out of the house with a slash hook and a monkey wrench, which she gave to Mr Pinder.
Veronica McGrath said she saw Colin Pinder hit her father on several occasions with the slash hook and that her father was saying 'have mercy on me'.
She said she also saw her mother hit her father with what she thought was a lump hammer. Her mother and Colin were laughing at the way she hit him, she added.
She also recalled seeing her father lying very still and said she saw her mother bring a blanket out of the house.
Her mother and Mr Pinder carried her father up the garden in the blanket and she never saw him again, the court heard.
Court hears of domestic abuse
Under cross-examination by lawyers for Vera McGrath, Veronica said she had a good relationship with her father and never had any cause for complaint against him.
She denied that she had ever told a doctor about recurrent and recent assaults by her father.
However, she admitted that she had seen her father hit her mother on some occasions and she had once complained to a local grocer about her father.
She said her father was very, very angry and was hitting her brothers.
Veronica said that her mother had left home on a number of occasions to go to women's refuges in Dublin and Athlone.
The court heard that there were no difficulties between her father and Mr Pinder and that their relationship was okay.
She said when her mother came to the caravan on the night her father died, her mother was fed up.
Veronica said she could not remember her father coming to the caravan and saying he had bought a new axe or hatchet and passing a remark about applying it to her mother's head.
She said she said nothing when her mother said she wished her father was dead because her mother had said it on many occasions.
Veronica agreed she was a passive witness to what had happened. She agreed that despite seeing her father killed in horrific circumstances, she went on to marry Mr Pinder a very short time later.
The trial continues....