A 30-year-old woman has been charged with the murder of a man who bled to death after being stabbed several times at an apartment complex in Salthill during the bank holiday weekend.
Dressed in a light grey hoody jumper and black leggings Maura Thornton, with an address given as Apartment 1, 183 Upper Salthill, was brought before Galway District Court on Tuesday. In court Thornton was officially charged with the murder, contrary to Common Law, of 59-year-old Kevin Joyce at the apartment building, located close to Seapoint Amusement Centre, on July 31, 2011.
Garda Gregory Flemming of Salthill Garda Station gave evidence of arresting Thornton at 10.50pm on Monday, August 1, and that in reply after charge and caution, the accused said: “May he rest in peace”.
Superintendent Noel Kelly then made an application to have the accused remanded into further custody and to be brought before the Criminal Courts of Justice, court number 2, in Dublin. Defence solicitor Adrian MacLynn notified Judge Gerard Furlong that an application for bail would not be made at this point, that it was a matter for a later date.
Judge Furlong then granted legal aid and remanded Thornton into custody to appear before the Court of Criminal Justice on August 9 at 10.30am. Following an application by Mr MacLynn, Judge Furlong also directed that Thornton recieve all the appropriate medical and psychiatric assessments while in custody at Mountjoy women’s prison.
Thornton was then quickly and quietly escorted from the courthouse, flanked by gardai, before pulling the hood of her jumper over her head and being placed into an awaiting garda car.
It is believed that Mr Joyce is a Mayo native who had been living more recently in the Rockmount Road area of Highfield Park in Galway city and that he had spent several decades living in Seattle, United States. Following the incident, which took place shortly after 10pm, Mr Joyce was found bleeding extensively and gardai responded to an emergency 999 call.
