Troubled house: The months before Josie Ray was murdered

In the months before 89-year-old Josie Ray was murdered in her own home, several State agencies became involved in trying to address the presence of Hasan Ali Gori in the property.

But despite concerns raised by neighbours and family members, warnings from the local authority and interventions by social workers and gardaí, he remained in the house.

Reports of domestic disturbances at Josie's home saw gardaí call to the house in St Joseph's Park, ten times during 2024.

The pensioner was found dead in the downstairs bedroom of her home on the morning of 4 August 2024.

She had been strangled and suffocated.

Following a trial at the Central Criminal Court, Hasan Ali Gori has been found guilty of her murder.

Originally from Chad, the 52-year-old came to Ireland in 2012 and lived in hostel accommodation in Dublin then Tralee before moving to Galway, where he first met Mary and Josie Ray in 2014.

The mother and daughter, who has an intellectual disability, were described in court as a double act who were always together.

Mary and Josie first met the African man in Eyre Square. They were looking for the bus station, and he struck up a conversation with Mary, asking her if she had a boyfriend.

Three months later, Mary, accompanied by Josie, returned to Galway to look for him. "Mary said she was accepting my friendship," he told gardaí.

He later moved to hostel accommodation in Limerick and spent weekends in Nenagh, staying with Mary and Josie in St Joseph's Park until he moved in full-time in late 2023.

The mother and daughter had been living in the council house since 1987 and were both the registered tenants of the property.

Ali Gori’s arrival brought significant changes to the household, with evidence of recurring arguments and growing tensions throughout 2024.

In his closing statement to the jury, prosecuting counsel Lorcan Connolly SC described a household that had become increasingly volatile.

Mary was described as shy, kind-hearted and easily led, while her mother, who despite her advanced years, was a formidable presence who was fiercely protective of her daughter.

Ali Gori had secured a roof over his head through the relationship with Mary, as well as a weekly payment of €154 from Mary’s disability allowance as a dependent adult.

The relationship with Mary was indispensable to Ali Gori.

One of the most striking incidents heard during the trial took place in March 2024, when gardaí called to the house to ask him to leave.

They found him upstairs, sitting on a bed and scrolling through his phone.

He ignored them initially, and when they asked him to leave the house, his response was: "The only way I leave this house is as a dead body."

His presence in the house was also brought to the attention of Tipperary County Council.

In April 2024, community liaison officer Séamus O’Brien called to the property after neighbours raised concerns about an unauthorised occupant.

He told the court that he explained to Josie that the terms of her council tenancy did not permit another person to live there. He said he felt the pensioner was nervous during their conversation.

The council subsequently wrote to her about complaints of anti-social behaviour and the unauthorised occupancy, warning that her tenancy could be at risk. A further letter informed her that she was in breach of the tenancy agreement.

Another community liaison officer, Majella Madigan, told the court she had met members of the Ray family, who also lived in St Joseph’s Park and were concerned about Ali Gori’s presence.

She advised them to encourage Josie to seek a barring order, but they knew she wouldn’t.

Social worker Sharlene Hegarty also became concerned about Josie’s circumstances after she was discharged from hospital following treatment for a broken hip.

She met the pensioner on five occasions during April and May 2024 and noticed that she became nervous and anxious whenever Ali Gori was mentioned.

The pensioner did not want to return to her own home and preferred to stay with another daughter, who lived in the estate. On one occasion, she told the social worker she would not go back until Mary’s partner had left the house.

Ms Hegarty told the court that Josie was afraid of what he might do to her Mary.

The possibility of a nursing home was discussed, but the 89-year-old did not want to go.

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

Growing tensions in the final hours

Gardaí were called to the property again on the Saturday evening of the August bank holiday weekend, following yet another report of a domestic disturbance.

Gardaí asked Ali Gori and Mary to keep the noise down and be mindful of their neighbours.

Garda Keith Fitzgerald said Ali Gori told him he was supposed to be staying there because of his immigration status.

The garda asked if his name was on the tenancy agreement and he told him it was.

In his closing address, Mr Connolly said tensions had reached a critical point on the night before the murder.

He referred to evidence from neighbours that the accused had said he could no longer cope with living with Josie Ray.

During an audio recording found on his own phone, Ali Gori could be heard telling Mary to "murder her".

A few hours later, she was dead.

The prosecution's case

In his closing statement, Mr Connolly argued that Hasan Ali Gori had a motive to kill Josie Ray because he was at risk of losing his accommodation.

He said the council was closing in on the issue of his continued presence in the house, and that the financial and accommodation arrangements on which he depended were under threat.

Mr Connolly said the pensioner's one final act on earth was to defend herself, causing injuries to her arms, and in doing so, she caught her killer.

DNA matching Ali Gori was found beneath her fingernails.

The prosecution also questioned the account given by Ali Gori in interviews following his arrest.

He told gardaí that he had gone to sleep at around 9pm, but Mr Connolly said he had left out important details about the events of the previous evening including that gardaí had called to the house.

The jury also heard that he did not call an ambulance or seek help when Josie was found dead.

"Poor Mary was ringing her mother who was dead in the bed," Mr Connolly told the jury.

A neighbour gave evidence that they overheard him telling Mary not to worry because the situation would be over in two days and gardaí would no longer be bothering them.

Another neighbour heard him say Josie was old and was going to die anyway.

He was wholly indifferent to Josie’s death and Mary’s grief.

He showed no remorse when found guilty of Josie’s murder.