The family of a man murdered by his wife and buried at the bottom of his garden remains fractured and troubled, a court has heard.
The son and grandson of Brian (Bernard ) McGrath, whose death in 1987 was the subject of the State’s first cold case prosecution, appeared before Mullingar District Court to plead guilty to breaching protection orders taken out by Veronica McGrath.
Veronica (41 ) gave evidence last year which saw her mother Vera jailed for murder and her former husband Colin Pinder jailed for the manslaughter of her father, whose beheaded corpse was burnt and buried at Lower Coole, Westmeath, where she now lives.
At Mullingar District Court last week, she witnessed the final stages in the prosecution of her son Bernard (21 ) and brother Andrew (35 ) who admitted breaching a barring and a safety order she had taken out against them.
Both men were drunk when they entered her residence at 11pm on May 13 this year, threatened violence and put Veronica McGrath in fear.
While no violence was used, she was afraid and phoned the Gardaí, Inspector Fergus Treanor explained.
Solicitor Louis Kiernan said both men, who were living at Lower Coole when arrested, regretted what they had done and undertook to stay away from Veronica McGrath in future.
Noting that the orders have lapsed, Judge Patrick Clyne placed them both on probation for 12 months, ordering that they remain sober in public and stay away from Veronica and her home.
Andrew McGrath who was accompanied by his partner, has completed an alcohol treatment course and regrets breaching the safety order, solicitor Louis Kiernan said. He is now living in Navan.
Bernard McGrath was living in a mobile home at his mother’s home while the barring order was in place, a situation Mr Kiernan described as “not ideal”.
He spent 11 days in custody after his arrest in May and the judge, referring to a psychiatric report, described him as “vulnerable”. He now resides in Mullingar.
Mr Kiernan said family relations have broken down and both men realize now they can’t be in the same area as Veronica.
