A 16-year-old girl has told the Central Criminal Court that she and her sister held a tie around Melissa Mahon's neck as the schoolgirl struggled to breathe.
The daughter of Ronald McManus said she held the tie because she was afraid of her father.
Mr McManus, also known as Ronnie Dunbar, 44, of Rathbraughan Park in Sligo denies murdering Melissa Mahon in September 2006.
The girl, who cannot be named, told the court that her father had placed the tie around Melissa Mahon's neck and told her and her older sister Samantha to hold it while he left the room.
When asked why her evidence differed from her sister she said: 'People perceive things differently when they are in shock.'
The girl said Melissa Mahon was unconscious but trying to breathe as they held the tie for a few moments.
The court was told that she then let go because she had left the cooker on downstairs. When asked if she was serious about this she said she was.
She also said she thought it was some kind of joke but was frightened of her father who was a violent man.
Mr McManus' youngest daughter, giving evidence by video link, said she never heard of the practice of young people placing things around their necks to stop each other breathing.
She also said she knew her father was not giving Melissa Mahon a cuddle when she saw his arm around her neck. She said it was violent and he was choking her.
She told the Court that she could not 'open up' about Melissa Mahon's death until after her father had been charged with murder.
The 16-year-old told the court that she waited until July last year to tell the truth because she was no longer scared as he could not get to her.
During cross-examination by Brendan Grehan the girl admitted that she had made several false statements to gardaí, to family and to a radio station.
She said while her father had not specifically told her to make up stories, he had put ideas into her head about what had happened.
She said he repeatedly suggested to her that her sister did it and she believed he had started to believe this himself.
The girl admitted that she had also blamed her sister, Samantha, for Melissa Mahon's death but today said she had done so because she was frightened of her father.
She also admitted telling an aunt in a phone conversation that her sister 'was never going to admit it'.
She also agreed with Mr Grehan that she had phoned Childline at one point to complain about the gardaí. She said at the time she felt uneasy and intimidated by detectives.
