A man charged with the murder of his partner told a paramedic who arrived at the scene that he loved her and planned to propose marriage, a trial has heard.

Adam Corcoran, 31, denies murdering Daena Walsh the mother of his two children at their home in Apartment 4, John Barry House, Midleton, Co Cork, on 2 August 2024.

The native of Ballincollig, Co Cork, also pleaded not guilty to a charge of arson on the same date and place.

Ms Walsh was found with 11 stab wounds, including one to her chest, which was 11.5cm deep. She also had 14 incised wounds.

Paramedics had to withdraw from her burning apartment to allow fire officers to make the scene safe.

Paramedic Alan Fitzgerald gave evidence at the trial in the Central Criminal Court in Cork today. He and his other colleagues from the National Ambulance Service had rushed to Midleton that afternoon after the alarm had been raised about a woman in need of medical help.

Mr Fitzgerald described the scene in Apartment 4 as “gruesome.” He said that Ms Walsh had “absolutely catastrophic injuries”.

“There was a very significant amount of blood and very significant injuries to her chest. Not breathing. It was not possible for her to have a pulse.”

He told the jury of eight men and four women that there was an “obvious smell of smoke”.

Mr Fitzgerald said that an aerosol can, which was on top of the cooker in the kitchen in the apartment, exploded.

He said that the Creeslough tragedy in Donegal was in the media at the time. He thought that the cooker in the apartment was a gas model, and he feared an explosion.

The paramedics withdrew from the apartment to allow members of the local fire brigade to deal with the situation. At this point, they knew that Ms Walsh was dead and beyond their help.

Mr Fitzgerald said that Mr Corcoran was talking to a garda on the street. He viewed Mr Corcoran as being “under the influence of alcohol or drugs to a considerable extent”.

Mr Fitzgerald said that Mr Corcoran was asked to sit in the ambulance to allow for a medical assessment.

“We classified him as a patient, and he sat into the ambulance.

“He (Mr Corcoran) said he loved her. He said she (Ms Walsh) had self-harmed multiple times. He said he was going to propose to her.”


Adam Corcoran pleaded not guilty to the murder of Daena Walsh

The jury also heard the three-minute and 17-second 999 call, which was placed at 4.06pm on 2 August 2024 by a man who identified himself as Mr Corcoran.

He said that his partner Ms Walsh was “after stabbing herself in the stomach”.

He asked the emergency services to “get here as fast” as they could. The operator asked if the woman was alive.

He replied: “No, no – she could be dead. I don’t know. I’m telling you she could be dead.”

“She’s bleeding out, like…She is 27. She has gone through a lot. She is going through a lot of stuff. Please, please, please…even if a (garda) patrol car comes.”

Meanwhile, paramedic Alan Sheehan said in evidence that when he arrived at Apartment 4, he spotted a lady on the floor in the corner of the dining area.

“We could see wounds that were quite evident. (She had) a very substantial fatal chest wound through the sternum, a laceration to the right side of the neck and partial amputation of the left arm.”

Evidence in the case was also given by Oswin Pinto, who lived in the apartment across the hall from Apartment 4.

He said he went to check on his apartment shortly after 4pm on 2 August 2024, because he received a call about an alarm going off. He worked close to home and spotted his neighbour, Mr Corcoran, out on the street talking on his mobile phone.

He recalled that Mr Corcoran was “very bruised” and seemed “messed up”.

Mr Pinto opened the door of the complex, and Mr Corcoran went upstairs to his apartment. Mr Pinto checked in with a neighbour on a lower floor.

He decided to bring a fire extinguisher to Apartment 4 as he felt that the fire might have broken out there.

Mr Pinto noted that the door was “wide open”.

“I proceeded inside. I could hear Adam sobbing…crying. I just saw blood on the floor. It looked substantial. I couldn’t see a fire, but I smelled smoke.

“(He) Adam was talking on the phone. He was on the floor, kneeling. She (Daena) was lying beside him. She looked dead. There was a stab wound to her chest, and her throat was slit.

“She was lying on her back. Adam was kneeling beside her. (She was) pale and lifeless and looked dead.”

“He (Adam) asked me: ‘Do you think she is dead?’ I said I did not know. I did not have the heart to say (she was dead).”

The trial will continue tomorrow and is expected to last up to two weeks.