A man has gone on trial accused of murdering his girlfriend in Co. Kilkenny.
Renars Veigulis claims Rita Apine died after falling down the stairs in the home they shared at Old Bridge Street in Freshford.
When paramedic Wesley Hayes arrived at the scene just after midday on May 14th last year, he said the front door was open and he noticed a man inside standing over a woman who was flat on her back in the hallway.
He said the woman, later identified as Rita Apine, had a large cut on the top of her head and had lost a lot of blood.
She was treated at the scene before being taken to hospital where she died from what a post-mortem concluded was severe blunt force trauma to the head.
A Garda who investigated the scene afterwards noticed a blood spatter in a location not consistent with the version of events put forward by the accused Renars Veigulis - that she fell down the stairs.
The jury was told a forensic examination of blood on his top was also inconsistent with his claim, and there was also evidence of some cleaning taking place before emergency services arrived.
The accused, who moved to Ireland from Latvia five years ago, denies the murder charge.
