2014-05-19 · Laois
Murder accused said he killed Laois nanny because pregnancy would scupper relationship with ex
The 25‑year‑old accused, Robert Corbet, told detectives that he killed Laois nanny Aoife Phelan because she was pregnant and he feared the pregnancy would ruin his relationship with his ex‑girlfriend. Corbet admitted to killing Phelan between 25 October and 7 November, when her body was found in a barrel buried about ten feet deep on his property. He said he had strangled her after an argument about their relationship, describing how he put a black bag over her head and sealed the barrel before leaving it in a shed. Corbet also admitted that he had flown to New York to visit his ex‑girlfriend the following evening, and that he had wanted to "sort everything out" with Phelan before that trip. The trial is proceeding before a jury and Mr Justice Garrett Sheehan. The court heard that Corbet had denied involvement in Phelan's disappearance but admitted to killing her after phone records were presented to him. The unnamed 25-year-old pleaded not guilty.