Social worker tells murder trial of concern for pensioner

A social worker has told a jury at the Central Criminal Court of her concern for Josephine 'Josie' Ray in the months before her murder at her home in Nenagh, Co Tipperary two years ago.

Hasan Ali Gori, originally from Chad, and with an address at St Joseph's Park, Nenagh, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Ms Ray on 4 August 2024.

The 52-year-old was living in the widow’s home, as he was in a relationship with her daughter, Mary Ray, who has an intellectual disability.

Sharlene Hegarty, a social worker who was based in Nenagh, told the court that she engaged with Ms Ray on five occasions in April and May after the 89-year-old was discharged from hospital where she had received treatment for a broken hip.

The pensioner returned from hospital to her daughter Sarah’s house which was across the road from her own home in St Joseph’s Park in Nenagh.

Ms Hegarty told the court that she observed Ms Ray becoming nervous and anxious when the defendant’s name was brought up.

"That was a concern to me," she said.

The social worker said Ms Ray did not want to return to her own home, preferring to stay at her daughter’s house.

"She would say, ‘No, no, I’m happy here. I don’t want to go back there’," Ms Hegarty said.

She told the court that on one occasion the pensioner said she was not going back there until Mary’s partner was gone from the house.

The social worker talked to her about going to a nursing home, but she did not want to go.

"She was afraid of what Hasan would do to her daughter," Ms Hegarty said.

The social worker said that if she had had statutory power at the time, she would have insisted Ms Ray be placed in a nursing home.

Aidan Doyle SC, on behalf of the defence, asked the social worker about one of her notes which said it seemed Mary had a hold over Ms Ray.

Ms Hegarty said that Ms Ray was like any Irish mother looking out for her daughter, putting her needs above her own.

"She was always worried about Mary and what would happen to Mary," she said.

The prosecution case, led by senior counsel Lorcan Connolly, is that Mr Ali Gori strangled and suffocated Ms Ray in the bedroom of her home.

The jury also heard evidence from Garda Colum Godfrey who took a voluntary statement from the accused on the day Ms Ray’s body was discovered.

The court heard Mr Ali Gori was outside the house in St Joseph’s Park when gardaí arrived at the scene and he agreed to go to Nenagh Garda Station to make a statement.

The statement, which was read to the jury, outlined how he had come to Ireland from Chad in 2012 and had lived in Dublin and Tralee before moving to hostel accommodation in Galway.

He said he had met Mary and Ms Ray in Eyre Square in 2014. He said in his statement that they were lost and looking for the bus station. He said he asked Mary if she had a boyfriend.

Mr Ali Gori said Mary and Ms Ray returned to the hostel looking for him three months later. He said Mary told him that she was accepting his friendship.

He said since then he had been in a relationship with Mary.

In his statement, Mr Ali Gori said he was living in Limerick and would stay at Mary’s house in Nenagh at weekends, before eventually moving into the house.

He told gardaí that Ms Ray had told "social welfare that I was allowed to live there".

On the night before the murder, he said he had gone to bed at 9pm and woke during the night to go to the toilet. He said Mary was awake in bed holding her phone when he returned.

The accused said he went to sleep and woke at 9.30am on 4 August 2024.

He told gardaí in his statement that Mary went to her mother’s room at around 11.30am and she did not wake up. He said he had not gone into the bedroom.

Mr Ali Gori said the couple went up to Mary’s son Samuel’s room and Mary told him that Ms Ray was not waking up.

He said Mary tried to ring her mother’s phone but there was no answer.

The defendant told gardaí that Mary went to her sister Frances’ house and they both returned together.

"I think it was Samuel who rang an ambulance," he said

The trial continues.