Karen Harrington

Michael Cawley (37) said he never thought Karen Harrington would harm his daughter ... The father of a two-year-old toddler who died after suffering multiple ...

During cross-examination by Mr Grehan on his second day in the witness box, Mr Cawley agreed that Ms Harringon had always got on well with his daughter as he told the jury he had no concerns about leaving his daughter with his then partner. “I left my daughter with someone I thought I could trust - I had left her with Karen a few times and there was never a problem,” Mr Cawley told Ms Harrington’s counsel, Brendan Grehan SC during cross-examination on the fourth day of the trial. Michael Cawley (37) told the trial of Karen Harrington that he never thought that she would harm his daughter, Santina in any way when he left Santina in Ms Harrington’s apartment in the early hours of July 5th 2019 to go into Cork city to look for his cousin.]

Karen Harrington, of Lakelands Crescent, Mahon, Cork, is on trial at the Central Criminal Court in Cork, charged with the murder of Santina Cawley. Michael ...

He told his partner, Ms Higgins, to stop drinking and to let Mr Cawley leave. Mr Okunala said Mr Cawley became very frustrated after Ms Harrington left. Mr Okunala said his partner, Martina Higgins, Mr Cawley and Ms Harrington were drinking cans of beer and cider, but he was not drinking. Mr Okunala said he rang the gardaí and the next time Mr Cawley came back the gardaí were with him. He said as Mr Cawley was about to leave he turned "all of a sudden" and wanted to fight him. Mr Okunala said it was getting late in the night and he said the drinking should stop.

He told the court: “I did not think Karen would hurt my daughter. I did not think she would do anything to my daughter.”

I left her with Karen a few times and there was never a problem. She was very friendly.” Mr Grehan asked: “She doted on her – she was very fond of her?” Mr Cawley replied: “Yes. Santina got on with everyone.

A FATHER who discovered his critically injured two year old daughter in the flat of his then-girlfriend broke down and wept as a murder trial was shown CCTV ...

"Her one eye was half closed and the other was open. I was in shock." She was on the same spot (where I left her). I asked Karen what was going on? "I could see the blanket where Santina was but the blanket was over her face. "I took the blanket off Santina. Santina was naked. When she was at the end of the street I could still hear her." Karen was on the couch lying down." She was very friendly," he said. I was shocked how he turned all of a sudden and wanted to fight. There was broken glass on the ground. He said Karen is gone mad - roaring and screaming to your baby. I had never seen her (Karen) like that before," he said.

The court heard evidence from Martina Higgins, who said: 'He was saying 'Santina, my child, my child. Karen killed my child. She is dead''

Ms Higgins said that Michael called Karen “a whore and a prostitute” and she left. The next Martina heard of Michael was when he started banging on her door screaming. She said when Michael left after 3am he had Santina resting on a shoulder. He stated that Mr Olney told him that Karen had been “screaming and roaring” at the baby. The mood was “grand” but it changed when Michael got a phone call from a cousin. Ms Higgins' partner Eric was also present in the apartment but he was not drinking. Mr Cawley said that he would only have been absent for five minutes if he had been able to gain access to his phone. Mr Cawley said that he was distraught when he returned to Miss Harrington’s apartment on the 5th of July shortly shortly after 5am to find kitchen chairs on the floor, blood and glass broken in the property. She got on with Santina and and Santina would have got on with her. Clumps of her torn out hair were found on the apartment floor, as was a stud which had been in her left earlobe. However, the atmosphere eventually soured and Michael had taken his shirt off and was trying to fight him. He gave evidence that Karen had left after 1am with Michael following at around 3am on July 5, 2019.

Michael Cawley was being cross-examined by Brendan Grehan senior counsel for Mr Cawley's then partner, Karen Harrington, who is on trial for murdering the child ...

I left her with Karen a few times and there was never a problem. When she was in a ward in hospital, everyone loved her – all the nurses, everyone – and she loved them. Mr Grehan asked Mr Cawley how Karen Harrington got on with Santina. He said, “Karen got on very good with Santina.”