The mother of an Irish woman allegedly murdered by her partner while on holiday in Spain broke down in tears at the start of her murder trial on Wednesday, describing the defendant as someone she “didn't like” and “didn't trust”.
Jackie Ward has revealed her daughter Kirsty's sunny holiday with Dublin-born Keith Byrne was a “make or break” and revealed she learned the mother-of-one planned to leave him after her death.
Byrne has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him, and his defense attorney is seeking an acquittal.
Ms Ward told the court at first instance in the east-coast Spanish city of Tarragona, recalling her daughter's state before the horrific incident at the hotel in July 2023: “She was not herself. The morning she left she was not happy.
“As her mother, I could see that something was wrong when she left.
“I said to my sisters, 'I really wish she didn't go away this week, and I don't know why I said that.' But I knew she wasn't in the best of health and she wasn't feeling happy.”
Asked if her daughter had told her about the problems with Byrne before their holiday in the Costa Dorada resort of Salou, she added in her evidence: “I didn't know at the time. She didn't tell me anything while I was driving.
“But I knew something was wrong. I didn't like him. I didn't trust him.
I later learned from friends and colleagues she worked with that they were having problems and that she had decided that this vacation was crucial and that she was going to leave him.”
Prosecutors are seeking 21 years in prison for Byrne for strangling Kirsty at the four-star Magnolia Hotel in Salou.
The 32-year-old man, who stood just feet from Jackie as she testified on the first day of the trial after jury selection behind closed doors on Tuesday, has been in custody since his arrest nearly two years ago.
Private prosecutors representing Kirsty's family, hired ahead of their online fundraising appeal, are calling for Byrne to be jailed for 30 years if he is found guilty of intentionally strangling her in their hotel room.
He was formally charged last year after a lengthy criminal investigation led by a judge who specialises in gender violence cases.
A five-page indictment lodged in Spanish courts alleges he strangled Kirsty with a hair straightener cord hours after she decided to leave him following an argument in their hotel room.
Prosecutors allege he acted with the intent to kill the 36-year-old woman because he could not come to terms with the end of their eight-month relationship.
They claim the Irishman, who lived in Duleek, County Meath, used his “superior strength” and the fact his alleged victim had no easy way to escape from their room to prevent her from defending herself.
Shortly after his arrest for the murder on 2 July 2023, Byrne pleaded not guilty, claiming he found Kirsty lying on her stomach with a rope around her neck and attempted to revive her in the doorway of their room.
Rebutting those claims in their hard-hitting indictment, Tarragona prosecutors said they were setting out their version of events on the day of the murder, which they said occurred after Kirsty's relationship with Byrne had deteriorated: “During the holiday, which began on 30 June 2023 and was due to last a week, there was an atmosphere of conflict and disunity between the accused and the victim.
“On July 2, 2023, after another argument that day in their hotel room, she decided to end their relationship, after which the accused man left.
“Around 9pm that same day, he returned to the hotel and again argued with the victim in her hotel room.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
