Jury hear from state pathologist in Tipperary murder trial
Ms Faulkner was removed from life support on April 13th, as the case continues into her murder trial by two accused
Scarlett Faulkner died having suffered multiple forceful blows to her head with a blunt weapon that caused a severe, traumatic brain injury, a pathologist has told the trial of a woman and teenage girl who deny her murder.
State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster told Seoirse Ó Dúnlaing SC, prosecuting, that Ms Faulkner had suffered severe axonal injury, whereby the brain moved around in the skull, causing tearing of the nerve fibres and bruising. The injuries were such that she was "never going to come out of her coma", the pathologist said.
Dr Bolster described how Ms Faulkner had been treated at Cork University Hospital for about three weeks before the decision was taken to remove her life support. She died on April 13 last.
The pathologist also noted multiple lacerations and fractures to the scalp, bleeding under the skull and fractures to the facial bones, including the lower jawbone.
Dr Bolster said the injuries she observed would have required a substantial degree of force and were consistent with being caused by multiple blows using an iron bar that gardai showed her during the autopsy. The iron bar was produced in front of the jury. She concluded that the cause of death was traumatic brain injury due to blunt force trauma from multiple blows with a blunt weapon. There were no other contributing factors.
A 17-year-old girl and a 41-year-old woman are on trial accused of her murder. In his opening speech earlier this week, Mr Ó Dúnlaing told the jury that the motive for the attack was that Ms Faulkner was in a relationship with the older accused's ex-husband.
The 17-year-old accused has pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter. The older 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 further charge of burglary and committing assault causing harm, at an address in Limerick on March 21.