Jury retire to consider verdict in pensioner murder trial

THE JURY in the trial of a man accused of murdering an 89-year old great grandmother has retired to consider its verdict.

The jury retired just after 3pm this afternoon after hearing three weeks evidence at the Central Criminal Court, Limerick.

The victim, Josephine “Josie” Ray, died trying to “fight off” her killer as she was being strangled in her home at St Joseph’s Park, Nenagh, Co Tipperary, the trial heard.

The accused, African native, Hasan Ali Gori, (52), has pleaded not guilty to Ms Ray’s murder.

Evidence given by state pathologist, Dr Yvonne McCartney, was that the victim died of strangulation and smothering.

Dr McCartney said Josie Ray sustained two broken bones in her neck, and was covered in bruises, 44 in total, to her head, neck, face, shoulders, chest, arms and legs.

“Josie Ray didn’t go down without a fight,” senior prosecuting counsel, Lorcan Connolly, told the jury in his closing address Tuesday.

“The prosecution say bruises to her forearms is evidence of Josie’s struggle as she tried to fight off the accused as he was trying to strangle her,” argued Mr Connolly.

Ms Ray’s arms were upright by her face when her body was found in her bed, in a front room at her home, on August 4, 2024, the court heard.

“The prosecution say Josie Ray caught her killer and in doing so, in defending herself, she suffered damage to her forearms,” added Mr Connolly.

Mr Connolly argued it was “significant” that Mr Gori’s DNA was found on Josie Ray’s right hand and underneath her fingernails.

“Unbeknownst to himself, Hasan Ali Gori left his calling card, his DNA under Josie’s fingernails,” the barrister said.

Josie rarely left Mary out of her sight because Mary has an intellectual disability and was described as a “vulnerable” adult.

Josie did not approve of Mary having a relationship with Mr Gori, who had been living in a hostel, prior to moving in with the Tipperary mother and daughter.

Mr Connolly suggested Mr Gori had “motive” and “opportunity” to murder Josie Ray. He argued Mr Gori was “at risk” of being evicted from the house and losing out on social welfare payments attached to a disability allowance being claimed by Mary Ray.

“He’d struck lucky, he had a roof over his head, he had an attachment to the house, he was at risk of losing the roof over his head and losing the payment from the department of social welfare.”

Mr Connolly suggested Mr Gori was also “upset” and “annoyed” at Josie Ray using “racist” slurs, allegedly calling him a “black bastard” and hitting him with a fireside poker.

In his closing speech, Mr Gori’s barrister, senior counsel, Aidan Doyle, said the court had heard from a former neighbour that Josie and Mary Ray were “constantly rowing about Mary bringing African men back to the house” before Mr Gori came on the scene.

The neighbour told the court she also saw Mary Ray threaten Josie Ray with a knife, nine years previously.

Mr Doyle highlighted the evidence of Carmel Ray, a sister of Mary Ray, who told the court that Mary was “very kind, and shy” but she sometimes “couldn’t control her emotions”.

Carmel Ray claimed Mary had assaulted another sibling when she was a teenager, and that following another incident, Mary was so upset that it took “five” gardai to “restrain” her.

Mr Doyle told the jury: “If you think it’s even possible that Mary did it, you have to acquit (Mr Gori).”

Mr Doyle said the jury had heard evidence that Mary Ray was “possessive and jealous” of Mr Gori and she had broken a toilet door in the house because she suspected the accused was looking at other women on his mobile phone when he went into the bathroom.

Mr Doyle suggested that, on the night before Josie Ray’s death, Mary Ray was in a “wound-up state of panic” because Mr Gori “was leaving”.

Mr Doyle asked the jury to consider an “alternative” theory to what the prosecution had put forward: “How do the guards (gardai) know Mary Ray didn’t do this? Why was she dropped from the investigation, you haven’t heard from her?”

Mr Doyle argued that persons with intellectual disabilities can give evidence in courts using established supports.

“They didn’t call on (Mary), or say why she isn’t here to give evidence,” said Mr Doyle.

Mr Doyle told the jury if they had any doubt about Mr Gori’s alleged involvement in the killing they could not find him guilty.