Court hears man accused of murdering his mother seemed nervous and evasive at scene

Eoin Reynolds

A man accused of murdering his mother seemed nervous and evasive when he spoke to gardai shortly after her death, the Central Criminal Court has heard.

Det Gda James Conneely told the trial of Nigel Canavan (39), who denies murdering his mother Angela Canavan, that he met the accused outside his mother's home on the night of her death. Mr Canavan had phoned emergency services about one hour and 15 minutes earlier.

The detective said he found Mr Canavan to be "nervous" and "evasive with the questions". When gardai asked Mr Canavan to come to Sligo Garda Station to make a voluntary statement, Det Gda Conneely said the accused was eager to cooperate and did not want legal advice.

Det Gda Conneely agreed with defence counsel Desmond Dockery SC that Mr Canavan had been "distraught, upset and tearful" at the scene and it was "a little surprising" that he agreed to be interviewed so soon after his mother's death.

In the subsequent voluntary interview, a recording of which was played to the jury, Mr Canavan said he was upstairs in his mother's house when he heard three loud bangs from downstairs.

When he went to investigate, he found the room "in a mess" with a broken chair and "glass everywhere". His mother was lying on her back on the ground.

Mr Canavan, with an address at Erris Gardens, Crossmolina, Co Mayo, has pleaded not guilty to his mother's murder at her home in St John's Terrace, Co Sligo on May 1st 2023.

It is the prosecution's case that "fatal violence" was used on Ms Canavan and that she died from manual strangulation.

In the voluntary interview, Mr Canavan said he had recently separated from his wife and stayed with his father for a short time.

On the May bank holiday weekend, he was staying with his mother. On the Monday, he had been at work in a hotel in Knock where he was a financial controller.

He arrived at his mother's house that evening with takeaway food, but he immediately knew that she was drunk. She became "really agitated" and wanted to argue, he said.

He said he put on a Netflix show she wanted to watch and tried to be "hospitable". "I didn't want to argue," he said.

However, he said she became "more and more agitated", and when she took out her walking stick, he went upstairs. He was about halfway up the stairs when, he said, he heard a bang and thought: "What in the name of duck [sic] is she after doing?"

He carried on upstairs but heard a second bang and thought his mother was trying to "antagonise" him. He was in bed when he heard a third bang. He said: "I thought, what the hell is after going on?"

He said his mother used to "self-inflict things", had a "really bad temper" and was "prone to picking up stuff and smashing things".
When he went downstairs, he found the place "in a mess" with broken glass on the floor and his mother lying on her back.

He "knew something was wrong", he said, and wondered if his mother had a stroke.

He said: "I was like, what's after happening here? Imagine you are coming downstairs, your mum is on the floor, what the duck [sic], like?"

He said he checked his mother's vital signs and phoned emergency services.

Det Sgt Gerry Mullaney on Wednesdayay told prosecution counsel Conor Devally SC that six days later, gardaí arrested Mr Canavan on suspicion of murder and brought him to Sligo Garda Station for questioning.

Det Gda Brian McMahon told Mr Devally that at the start of the first interview, Mr Canavan said he was "not guilty" and detailed his background. He spoke of his mother's career as a psychologist and addiction counsellor while she herself dealing with addictions to alcohol and cigarettes.

He detailed incidents where he said she had self-harmed and threatened to kill herself, prompting her to spend time in various psychiatric hospitals over many years.

He said she had always struggled with alcohol and when drinking she could be "illogical and violent".

Following a fall down the stairs in 2019, she lost much of her mobility and strength and required carers to visit daily to carry out small chores for her.

The evidence continues on Thursday before Mr Justice Kerida Naidoo and a jury of ten women and two men.