Social worker tells murder trial of concern for pensioner in lead-up to her death

A SOCIAL WORKER told a court that an 89-year-old woman, allegedly murdered by her daughter’s boyfriend, would appear anxious and nervous when the accused’s name came up in conversation in the months before her death.

Josephine “Josie” Ray was found allegedly strangled and smothered and with over 40 bruises to her body, at her home at St Joseph’s Park, Nenagh, Co Tipperary, on 4 August 2024.

The man accused of her murder, Hasan Ali Gori (52), has pleaded not guilty to the charge at his trial held at the Central Criminal Court, Limerick.

The African native was living at Ms Ray’s home and in a relationship with her daughter Mary Ray, who, the court heard, was “vulnerable” and she has an intellectual disability.

Several of Josie’s neighbours and members of her family told the trial that Josie, Mary and the accused had a “volatile” relationship and were constantly “arguing” and “fighting” with one another.

Sharlene Hegarty, a social worker based in Nenagh, told the court she visited Josie Ray on five occasions in the months leading up to her death, as Ms Ray was recuperating at her daughter Sarah Ray’s home, located across the road from her own home.

Hegarty said she told gardaí that Josie would become anxious whenever Gori’s name was mentioned in their conversations.

Hegarty told gardaí: “When I would bring up [the accused], it would make [Josie] very nervous.”

Hegarty said she was concerned for Josie because she told her she did not want to return to her home.

The social worker said that if she had had the statutory power at the time to insist Josie would have been rehoused in a nursing home, she would have done so.

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Josie eventually returned to her home because she was concerned for Mary after her daughter had phoned her and told her that she and the accused were arguing, the trial has heard.

Gardaí were called to Josie’s house the night before she was found dead after receiving calls from neighbours of shouting and roaring in the house.

Hegarty agreed with Aidan Doyle, senior counsel for the accused, that she had asked Josie if Gori had ever “hit” her and Ms Ray had replied “No”.

Hegarty agreed she had told gardaí that it appeared to her that Mary Ray had had a “hold over” her mother.

Asked by Doyle what she meant by this, Hegarty replied: “I would say that any Irish mother would look out for her daughter and [Josie] would always put Mary’s needs over her own.”

Hegarty told prosecuting barrister David Humphries BL that she had said this in the context of Josie Ray “always being worried about Mary and [worried] what would happen to Mary”.

State Pathologist Dr Yvonne McCartney, who conducted a post-mortem on Josie Ray’s remains, gave evidence of finding 44 separate bruises on Josie’s body, including on her forehead, face, neck, shoulders, chest, abdomen, arms, elbows, wrists, hands, fingers, and shins.

The pathologist said a bone in the front part of Ms Ray’s neck had been fractured on each side, and there was internal haemorrhaging to Ms Ray’s neck area, which the witness said supported her view that Ms Ray died of “strangulation” and “smothering”.

Dr McCartney said Josie Ray was discovered dead in her bed with her arms positioned up by the sides of her head, which she said suggested possible “defence type injuries”.

The court also heard evidence from forensic scientist Dr Stephen Clifford that male DNA found on the swab samples of Josie Ray’s right hand and fingernails were 28,500 times more likely to have been the accused’s DNA than another person’s DNA.

Dr Clifford said this “may not be significant” as the accused and the deceased were living together, and that DNA can be transferred from one person to another in a housing setting, even if they have not been in physical contact with one another.