Murder accused told paramedics Gillian Curran had several falls before death

A man accused of murdering his partner told emergency services she had fallen multiple times before he found her unresponsive at the bottom of the stairs. Marcus O’Neill, 35, denies the murder of Gillian Curran, 47, at his home in Waterford city on January 25, 2025.

During a 999 call played to the jury, O’Neill described Curran’s condition to a paramedic, stating her breathing was low and she was not conscious. He mentioned she had fallen and hit her head and chin. The paramedic guided him through CPR, but Curran was pronounced dead at the scene.

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I can hear her heart pulse, her heartbeat but she’s not breathing, her breathing is very low. She is not awake, she doesn’t seem to be conscious, but she has a heart rate . . . her breathing is very low and her temperature is quite high. Her breathing is not normal.

O’Neill told the arriving paramedics that he and Curran had been drinking the night before, and she had fallen several times. He claimed he found her naked downstairs the following morning, dressed her, and placed her on a sofa before attempting to clean blood from her face and the scene.

The prosecution is arguing that Curran’s injuries were the result of a violent assault, while O’Neill maintains they were accidental. The trial is expected to last two to three weeks, with the jury tasked with determining the cause of Curran’s fatal injuries.

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We were drinking last night and she fell a few times and hit her head and she fell downstairs.