Faulkner was 'terrified' of murder accused, court told

Updated / Wednesday, 4 Nov 2026 14:28

The Central Criminal Court has heard that Scarlett Faulkner who died after she was severely assaulted at Birdhill in Tipperary last March was terrified of the 41-year-old woman who is now on trial for her murder.

The woman is accused of being part of a joint enterprise to find and harm Ms Faulkner after finding out she was in a relationship with her estranged husband.

A 17-year-old is also on trial charged with Ms Faulkner's murder. Neither women can be named to protect the teenager’s identity.

On the second day of the trial a witness said Ms Faulkner had called to the home she shared with her partner as Ms Faulkner’s boyfriend was a friend of his.

She said Ms Faulkner was "petrified" of her boyfriend’s ex-wife and knew she was going to do something bad to her.

Ms Faulkner had planned to go with her sisters that day and did not want to go with her boyfriend but then left with him because she was terrified, the witness said.

She said the 41-year-old accused woman later entered her apartment shouting and cursing, asking where her ex-husband and Ms Faulkner were.

She said the woman was being very aggressive and shouting and before she left told them not to ring gardaí. She said her partner was assaulted during the incident and had a bleeding lip.

During cross examination, it was put to her that the accused woman fully accepted she was at the apartment shouting and demanding to know where her ex-husband was and that she had told them not to call gardaí, but she denied mentioning Ms Faulkner’s name.

It was also put to the witness that her evidence about the accused woman looking for Ms Faulkner was not mentioned in her statements to gardaí.

Another witness, Chelsea Poneyi, who was renting a room in the same apartment said they saw Ms Faulkner and her boyfriend in the apartment that day.

She said it was a common occurrence for people to call to the apartment and drug use was frequent so they stayed in their own room a lot and did not get involved. She said they only rented the room for a short time as they were homeless.

Ms Poneyi said the 41-year-old accused woman later arrived at the apartment and in a raised voice was demanding to know where her ex-husband was and also mentioned Ms Faulkner.

She noticed a young man was also present and holding a small baseball bat. She later gave first aid to her housemate who had an injured lip and head, she said.

Her partner, Jeffrey Buckley, said Ms Faulkner’s boyfriend was a frequent visitor to the apartment to take drugs. He said he and his partner rarely drank and it was a difficult environment to be living in and they only stayed two months.

He told gardaí that the 41-year-old acused woman had entered the apartment on March 21 and was wearing a dressing gown and pyjamas and was "frantic" and like a "bull in a china shop" while asking where her ex-husband was and saying "I know you are hiding him".

The jury was also shown footage taken from the 41-year-old accused woman's phone taken at her ex-husband's family home.

In the video, she can be heard saying to members of her ex-husband's family: "I thought you said he was out here, where is he? There is the trailer he got for his crack head prostitute".

She also said asked another person: "Did he stay here last night with the crack head prostitute? You smelly 'aul yoke" and later "I promise ye ... going to suffer like our Lord" and "He's dead."

Scarlett Faulkner died on April 13 last after an incident at Birdhill in Co Tipperary on March 21 last.

The 17-year-old accused has pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter.

Her 41-year-old co-accused pleaded not guilty to murder. She also pleaded not guilty to burglary, entering a building as a trespasser and causing criminal damage at an address in Co Tipperary, on March 20.

She pleaded not guilty to a third charge of burglary and committing assault causing harm, at an address in Limerick on March 21.

The trial continues before Mr Justice Kerida Naidoo and a jury.