Witness told gardaí man accused of murdering partner said he 'beat her' and 'cut her with a knife'

Ryan Dunne

The brother-in-law of a 37-year-old man charged with murdering his partner told gardaí that the accused came to his door on the morning of the killing and said he "beat her" and "cut her with a knife", a jury has heard.

However, in his direct evidence at the Central Criminal Court on Thursday, Raul-Cosmin Tache told the jury via a Romanian interpreter that he did not know if the accused “said those things to me at that time”, although he accepted that his statements to gardaí contained these words.

“I don’t remember it, I don’t remember anything I put on the statement, but I see it’s written down,” said Mr Tache, giving evidence during the trial of Daniel Blanaru (37).

Mr Blanaru, from Rathmore, Athboy, Co Meath, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of his partner Larisa Serban (26) at Rathmore, Co Meath on or about August 12, 2022.

Counsel for the Director of Public Prosecutions, Eilis Brennan SC asked Mr Tache about two statements he made to gardaí, one on August 12th, 2022, the day Ms Serban died, and the second on August 16th.

The witness confirmed that he made the statements, that they contained the declaration that the statement was true to the best of his knowledge, and that he understood the importance of telling the truth.

Ms Brennan said that in his first statement, made on August 12th, Mr Tache told gardaí that the accused came to his door between 3.30 and 4am on August 12 and that the accused “was desperate and crying”. The witness confirmed that this was correct.

Ms Brennan put it to him that in this statement, Mr Tache said the accused told him he had arrived home and “she was in bed with a man and he beat her up and he cut her”.

“I don’t remember him talking with me in my house. I don’t recall because I was stressed and panicking, but I see in my statement it is there,” the witness told Ms Brennan.

Ms Brennan next referenced a part of the statement in which Mr Tache told gardaí that the accused had said he “beat her” and “cut her with a knife”.

To this, the witness replied: “I don’t know if he said those things to me at that time because I don’t remember it. I see it is written down, but I don’t recall it.”

Ms Brennan said that according to the statement, Mr Tache had told gardaí: “Daniel did say to me also that when he got home, the male that was in the bed jumped out the window.”

To this, Mr Tache replied: “I don’t remember it, I don’t remember anything I put on the statement, but I see it’s written down.”

Ms Brennan next referenced his second statement, made on August 16. In this statement, Mr Tache told gardaí that the accused entered the house “shouting and screaming”.

“He said he had beat up his wife and he wasn’t sure whether he had killed her or not,” Mr Tache told gardaí.

The witness again told counsel that he did not remember everything he said at the time “because of the stress”.

Ms Brennan put it to the witness that he told gardaí that the accused said that “he beat up his wife and that he killed her”, before he started crying.

“I don’t know if he told me those words in my house,” replied Mr Tache.

Ms Brennan next referenced a part of his statement where he told gardai that he had asked the accused’s brother, Leon, to go and check Ms Serban’s house “because Daniel told me he had beat up his wife and killed her”.

“I don’t remember everything that I said,” replied the witness.

Ms Brennan said that in the statement, Mr Tache had told gardaí that the accused had said “he beat” Ms Serban but did not know “if he cut her or he killed her”.

Ms Brennan said that Mr Tache also told gardaí that the accused said he “cut her with a knife” before he threw the knife away.

“I see it is written down, but I don’t remember everything. We were really stressed at the time,” replied the witness.

Ms Brennan said that in his statement, Mr Tache had said that the accused told him Ms Serban “went for him” so “he beat her and he cut her”. She asked the witness if he recalled any memory of telling this to the gardaí.

“No, I just see that it is on the statement,” replied Mr Tache.

In response to questioning by defence counsel, Giollaíosa Ó Lideadha SC, Mr Tache confirmed that the accused was extremely distressed when he arrived at the witness’s house.

He agreed with counsel that it was “difficult to follow and understand” what the accused was saying.

He also agreed that when they learned that Ms Serban was dead, this caused more stress, which made it “even more difficult to follow what was said”.

“Do you accept it is possible that you got some things wrong about what was said by Daniel?” asked Mr Ó Lideadha.

“It could be possible, I don’t know,” replied Mr Tache.

The trial continues before Ms Justice Eileen Creedon and an enlarged jury of eleven men and four women.