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The Central Criminal Court in Dublin has heard extraordinary testimony in the murder trial of Scarlett Faulkner, a 28-year-old mother who died on 13 April 2026, three weeks after sustaining catastrophic head injuries at the Birdhill roundabout in County Tipperary on 21 March. Daily Dazzling Dawn understands that a 41-year-old woman and a 17-year-old girl, who cannot be identified because she is a minor, both deny murder. The younger accused has pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter, while her co-accused has entered not guilty pleas to murder, burglary, entering a building as a trespasser, and causing criminal damage at an address in County Tipperary on 20 March, as well as a further charge of burglary and assault causing harm at an address in Limerick on 21 March.
Prosecution counsel Seoirse Ó Dúnlaing told the jury in his opening address that the motive for the attack was that Ms Faulkner was in a relationship with the older accused's ex-husband. He said the older woman had spent the previous day searching for Ms Faulkner and her new partner before spotting him driving his Transit van. The court has now heard from more than ten witnesses who described the events unfolding in full public view on a busy Saturday afternoon just off the M7 motorway between Limerick and Nenagh.
Trudy Doyle, a witness travelling with her sister Claire O'Byrne, told the court she was left in "total shock" after observing a female at the side of the road holding a metal bar and striking down with force on Ms Faulkner's head six or more times. She said the car windows were closed and music was playing, yet she could still hear the impact of the rapid blows. Daily Dazzling Dawn learned that Ms Doyle noticed other people standing and looking at their phones who were "totally not engaged" and were not attempting to help. She described them as "nonchalant" while she and her sister were so shocked they were unable to speak.
Claire O'Byrne gave a graphic account of seeing another female striking "down directly to the head" of Ms Faulkner, who did not move or attempt to defend herself. She initially thought she had seen an animal on the ground before recognising Ms Faulkner's feet, tracksuit bottoms, and blonde hair. She told the court she saw two boys, aged approximately 11 or 12, watching from an embankment on the hard shoulder. She said she was "quite shocked" at the level of violence and that those involved had "no regard for who was around or who was watching."
The jury was shown dashcam footage from the car of Ivan Kennedy, who described seeing a woman trying to open the door of a car attempting a U-turn at the roundabout. The car accelerated, and because the woman was gripping the handle, she fell forward onto her face. Mr Kennedy said another female carrying a weapon then "started raining down blows on her head numerous times," adding that she was "bashing the lady's head in on the ground." He believed he witnessed ten or eleven blows, with Ms Faulkner's head moving involuntarily with each strike. Mr Kennedy said his daughter begged him not to leave the vehicle as a man with an axe was nearby damaging a stopped car. He rolled down his window and shouted "stop" at the top of his voice, at which point the female with the weapon looked at him and ceased her actions.
Adam Coleman, another motorist, described seeing a girl lying on the road who appeared to be getting attacked by another girl. He said the attacker held a long piece of wood or stick above her head and was "swinging at the head of the girl on the ground" with "nearly as much force as she could possibly be using." Mr Coleman estimated the attacker to be 17 or 18 years old and said a younger girl beside her appeared to be recording the incident on a mobile phone.
Dr Shahen Maheraj, a trauma specialist at University Hospital Limerick who happened to be driving past, stopped to assist. Daily Dazzling Dawn understands that Dr Maheraj found Ms Faulkner unconscious with a massive wound to her head, exposing bone and brain tissue. He described a man at the scene walking up and down with something large in his hand, saying "I'm going to kill them." The man told Dr Maheraj that Ms Faulkner had taken crack cocaine about an hour before she was wounded but had not taken any other drugs. Dr Maheraj said he asked the man what had happened, and the man replied: "She was hit and I am going to kill them."
Dr Maheraj administered emergency aid, managing Ms Faulkner's airway while asking members of the public for first aid kits to dress the wound and stem the bleeding. He was concerned she had a severe brain injury and needed bystanders to keep her neck and body still. He continued providing medical assistance until Ms Faulkner was airlifted to University Hospital Limerick. In his statement, read to the jury, Dr Maheraj said that from his initial assessment and the gravity of the injury, he believed she would die very soon. He concluded that all injuries were pinpointed to one location on the lower back part of the left side of her head, and that she was likely struck while walking away or while already on the ground.
Paramedic Frank Malone told the court he attended to Ms Faulkner at the roadside, finding her on her back with blood on her face and forehead. He could hear her moaning but she did not communicate at any point. Her hair and head were matted with blood, and she was placed on a stretcher and given pain relief in the ambulance before being airlifted. His colleague Brid Malone said the ambulance had to wait for the scene to be declared safe before proceeding. Members of an armed response unit who arrived before the ambulances used their medical equipment to assist Ms Faulkner's breathing.
Michael Tobin, a bus driver transporting an under-14 football team, stopped and opened the door but drove on after seeing the wounds to Ms Faulkner's head, not wanting the children on board to witness the scene. He pulled in approximately 20 metres further down the road, took a fleece jacket, and returned on foot. He learned from a man sitting nearby that the woman was named Scarlett. He tried to reassure her, using her name and telling her an ambulance was on the way. She was still breathing, but the injuries to her head were severe. He could see blood and fragments of either bone or brain on the ground, and her eyes were swollen shut like two half golf balls. He used the fleece to staunch the wound, cleared blood from her nose and mouth, and moved her into the recovery position. A nurse, Sheila Ryan, arrived and helped, noting the large head wound was bleeding profusely from what appeared to be targeted strikes.
Gerard Coonan told the court he noticed a van and a people carrier ahead of him "hopping off one another" before stopping at the Birdhill roundabout. He saw a man holding an axe with both hands, "pretending to swipe" at people to frighten them away. A little further along, he saw three females who seemed to be running away, one of whom jumped onto a car attempting a U-turn. Mr Coonan said he found a space and "just got out of the situation as quickly as I could."
Brian Whelan, another driver, described coming upon what he first thought was a traffic jam before seeing a man standing on the roof of a van. As he got closer, he said it was "like a scene from an apocalyptic movie, there were bits of cars on the road and women shouting." He saw a lady on the ground and could not tell if she had been knocked down. He rang 999 and later told the court: "In hindsight I'm sorry I did not pull in, but there wasn't anything actually taking place as I drove by." Dashcam footage from another motorist captured the driver's horrified reaction: "What's going on here… oh my sweet Jesus Christ… oh my God… what the fk… oh my God, oh my God she's dead… the back of her head is open… did he just… what the fk is going on…"
The trial continues before Mr Justice Kerida Naidoo and a jury. The case has highlighted profound questions about bystander intervention and the role of mobile phone recording in public emergencies, themes that Daily Dazzling Dawn will continue to examine as proceedings advance.
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