Wednesday, July 06, 2016

Update 4.44pm: A jury in the trial of a woman accused of murdering her colleague has heard there was a series of calls made between them in the hours before his death.

Paul Hickey was on his way to work at around 5:20am that morning and said he saw a car fitting the description of Ms Herda’s VW Passat.

He said he saw a woman at the wheel and said she seemed to be having an argument with someone over the phone.

The jury was told Marta Herda had two phones – one of which she exclusively used to call Mr. Orsas.

A series of calls and texts were exchanged between them in the 48 hours leading up to the crash.

The last call on record lasted two minutes and was made less than half an hour before her car entered the water.

The trial continues tomorrow.

Earlier:

The trial of a woman accused of murdering a man in Wicklow has heard a postman spotted his front door open on the morning in question.

Marta Herda of Pairc na Saile, Emoclew Road in Arklow, Co Wicklow is accused of deliberately driving a car carrying her alleged victim into the sea.

A witness called yesterday said he heard a car driving through the harbour at South Quay in Arklow at around 6am on March 26, 2013.

Marta Herda was spotted on the harbour a short time later. She was soaking wet, the court heard.

That morning was bitterly cold, sea conditions were rough and it was approaching high tide.

Ms Herda was a part-time waitress at the Brookview Hotel in Co Wicklow where her alleged victim, Csaba Orsas, also worked.

It is the prosecution’s case that she intentionally crashed through a barrier with Mr Orsas in the passenger seat, while knowing he couldn’t swim.

The Hungarian man’s body washed up on a beach a few hours later.

Local postman Stephen Mitchell described passing Mr Orsas’ home at Brookview Court two hours after the car entered the water.

He said he thought it was unusual that the front door was open.

Yesterday, the jurors were told the one question that will stand out is how Mr Orsas became a passenger in the car that morning.

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