Man tells inquest he 'definitely' did not kill former partner

The former partner of a woman whose bruised body was found in an overflowing bath has told an inquest that he "definitely" did not kill her.

Laura Marshall was discovered dead in her home in Victoria Street in Lurgan on 3 April 2016.

Two years after being arrested and charged with her murder, all charges against Marshall's former partner, Gary O'Dowd, were dropped.

On Tuesday, O'Dowd previously contended he had nothing to do with Marshall's death but friends of the deceased have told the inquest she was worried he was going to kill her.

The barrister for the coroner asked O'Dowd a series of questions about Marshall's death - including whether he was involved in it, or knew anything about the circumstances that led to it.

On Tuesday, The Belfast Telegraph reported that O'Dowd emphatically denied any knowledge or involvement.

The ongoing court process is an inquest, which means its purpose is to establish the circumstances around Marshall's death.

It is not a criminal or civil trial, meaning it does not seek to find guilt or liability.

O'Dowd said he had spent the day at his mother Bernie O'Dowd's house on the date of Marshall's death.

On Wednesday, Bernie O'Dowd told the court the same.

She described her son as "very soft and very good" and said he "didn't hurt Laura or murder her".

On the stand on Tuesday, when it was proposed that a woman had heard the pair arguing in the early hours of the morning, a day or two before Marshall's death, O'Dowd rejected the claim.

He likewise answered no to questions around whether he had physically assaulted Marshall, threatened her with a knife, and once put her in hospital by scalding her with boiling water.

At one point he said he loved Marshall, but did not know if she loved him.

Before taking the stand, O'Dowd was told by Coroner Louisa Fee, presiding over the inquest, that Rule Nine of the Northern Ireland Coroner's Rules provided he did not have to answer any question which might incriminate him.

When asked by the barrister if abuse had "become the norm for Laura, that you physically abused her", O'Dowd responded: "Rule Nine."

On Wednesday, the inquest was told that Marshall feared for her life.

"He's going to kill me. He will kill me," she told her family.

O'Dowd replied, "If they had that much concern, they should have kept her and not let her near me."

In a statement, Laura Marshall's friend told the inquest that, in a chat between the two a few weeks before her death, she pleaded with Marshall: "Don't let me get a phone call to say Gary has killed you. You need to get away."

The inquest was told Laura responded: "It won't come to that."

The barrister turned to O'Dowd and asked, "Did it come to that?"

He replied, "No, definitely not. And Rule Nine."

The court then heard a statement from another friend of Marshall, who explained the relationship between Marshall and O'Dowd had "reached boiling point".

"Once I heard him shout, 'I hope the foreigners rape you'," she said.

O'Dowd replied: "That is pure lies."

The barrister put it to O'Dowd that Marshall told friends "you were beating her".

"Laura had a drink problem," replied O'Dowd.

"Oh, so that's another wee boot at Laura," said the family's barrister.

The inquest was then read a statement that Marshall gave police on 24 March 2016.

In it she said O'Dowd lifted her "off the ground using both his hands" around her neck.

She said, "He kept me off the ground for 10 seconds. I was struggling to breathe and almost passed out.

"He head-butted me to the forehead. He said to me, 'I will kill you. I will stab you. I will put a knife through your temple. I will ruin you and your work.'

"He beats me on a daily basis," she said.

"That is a voice from the grave. A voice that tells everyone you are violent and manipulative," said the barrister.

O'Dowd replied, "Police came down and examined her. There wasn't a mark on her."

The barrister said: "The statement suggests that you are a woman beater. The statement suggests that you had no concern for Laura."

"That's your opinion," replied O'Dowd.

"May I suggest that you killed her in a rage?" asked the barrister.

"Rule Nine," replied O'Dowd.