A woman who is giving evidence at the trial of her mother and her former husband for the murder of her father 23 years ago has said she was threatened that nobody would believe her and she would be sent to a mental hospital if she revealed details of what happened.
However, Veronica McGrath denied that she was threatened that her part in her father's death would be revealed.
She is giving evidence in the trial of her former husband, Colin Pinder, and her mother, Vera McGrath for the murder of her father Bernard Brian McGrath in 1987.
Vera McGrath and Colin Pinder deny the murder of Bernard Brian McGrath between 10 March and 18 April 1987.
Mr Pinder had pleaded guilty to manslaughter, but that plea was not accepted by the prosecution.
Veronica McGrath said she could not remember writing a note on part of a cereal box which said ‘that you were going to screw me to the wall for carrying my father up the field’.
She agreed that she had told the court she did not carry her father up the field on the night of his death and said she could not remember why she had written this or who she was addressing.
She said she was very traumatised, upset and depressed after the events of 1987 and kept seeing her father's head on a hayfork.
Questioned about this she said she had seen Mr Pinder holding a hay fork beside the fire where her father's body had been burned.
She said she saw a very bright, glowing circular object which she took to be her father's head.
She agreed that after her father's death, Mr Pinder had taken an overdose of his medication and said she accepted that this was because he could not live with what he had done.
But she denied that he had said he should go to the police himself.
Two of Mr McGrath's sons also gave evidence this afternoon.
Brian McGrath agreed that he told gardaí in 1993 that there were a lot of rows between his father and Mr Pinder and that his mother and sister were always against his father.
He said he also recalled telling gardaí there had been rows between his mother and father about a travelling salesman who called to the house.
He said his mother got on well with the salesman and he would give him money.
He said there were also rows between his mother and father about a deaf and dumb man who would call to the house.
Another son, Andrew McGrath, said he never saw his mother and father physically assault each other.
He said when he first asked his mother where his father was she said she did not know.
He said on another occasion he had spoken to his sister and then spoke to his mother.
She told him that she had told him that she had gone in to the caravan where his sister and Mr Pinder were living and had said she wished her husband was dead.
He said she told him that Mr Pinder said he had the very thing to do it.
