Woman ‘tortured’ by former partner, inquest hears

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Laura Marshall's body was discovered in a bath at her home in Victoria Street in Lurgan.

In a statement Laura Marshall's cousin, Deirdre Toman, told the inquest that Marshall had told her she was being beaten regularly by her partner Gary O'Dowd.

Gary O'Dowd was arrested and charged with Laura Marshall's murder in 2016. He denied any involvement in her death. Two years later the case against him was dropped after the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) decided to withdraw all charges.

During her evidence, Toman outlined details of conversations, phone calls and text messages between her and Marshall in the year preceding her death.

She said when Marshall started a relationship with O'Dowd, the family began to see less and less of her.

Toman said that in May 2015 Marshall had spent several weeks in Belfast's Royal Victoria Hospital receiving treatment for burns. Her burns were so severe that she needed skin grafts.

While in hospital, Marshall initially told her cousin that she had sustained the burns by sitting on a hot water bottle.

She told her that O'Dowd had called an ambulance and had been good to her and had visited her every day.

Two months later, Toman said, Marshall admitted to her that it was O'Dowd who had thrown a kettle of boiling water at her and had told her her "face would be next".

During her evidence, Toman gave detailed accounts of how Marshall had messaged or phoned her to say that Gary O'Dowd had beaten her on several occasions.

On one occasion she said that O'Dowd had been "torturing" her both mentally and physically. He had told her that her family hated her and that they would abandon her.

Toman said she had pleaded with Marshall to leave saying that she could stay with her family. She reassured her she was loved by her family.

Toman said she had rung various agencies including the Housing Executive and Women's Aid on Marshall's behalf, however, her cousin never followed up on any of the appointments.

Each time, she said, Marshall had told her she had sorted things out with O'Dowd.

Toman said she had got frustrated and once told her cousin that O'Dowd would "keep beating the crap out of her" if she did not leave him. She told her she had to make the decision to go.

Towards the end of her evidence, Toman said that she had invited Marshall to her wedding weeks before her death.

She explained that she had had back and forth text message exchanges with her in the run up to her wedding.

She said that she had warned Marshall to turn up to the wedding sober.

Marshall had replied that she was trying to make a "fresh start", to which Toman replied that if you are still with a man who beats you – that is not a fresh start.

Although there was some friction between the two women, Marshall attended Toman's wedding.

Marshall texted Toman the day after the wedding saying that everyone had had a great time. That was the last message she got from Marshall.