The following is a transcript of the evidence of Rebecca Dennehy, girlfriend of Wayne O'Donoghue.Sean Guerin BL (prosecuting): In January 2005, you were going out with Wayne O'Donoghue, he was your boyfriend.

Rebecca Dennehy: Yes.

SG: I think you know Wayne O'Donoghue's family home.

RD: That's right.

SG: You know, of course, that he lived next door to the Holohan family.

RD: Yes.

SG: You would know Robert from him calling to Wayne's house while you were there?

RD: Yes.

SG: I think on a couple of occasions you and Wayne took Robert and his friend Heather to the pool hall in Midleton?

RD: Yes.

SG: I think that would have happened a couple of times since July 2004.

RD: That's correct.

SG: On January 4 you were at home. How far is that from Wayne's house?

RD: It wouldn't be far from Wayne's house. A five-minute drive.

SG: You had been on the phone to Wayne O'Donoghue between 1pm and 1.15pm.

RD: That's correct.

SG: And about that time he called to you in his own car.

RD: Yes.

SG: He came into the house and straight into the kitchen.

RD: Wayne had been lecturing me about studying. He came to help me with a study timetable for my Christmas revision.

SG: I think while he was there you received a text from your friend Amanda who was babysitting next door. You called in.

RD: Yes.

SG: Wayne left at that stage.

RD: Yes.

SG: That was after 2pm. Did you know where Wayne was going?

RD: His brother Timmy rang him to say he'd bought an exercise bike in Cork. He wanted Wayne to collect the bike.

SG: And what time did you get home?

RD: I came home at three o'clock.

SG: You phoned Wayne and were making arrangements for Wayne to call back to your house.

RD: Yes.

SG: I think you were at that stage trying to organise a CAO application for college or something like that. I think the next contact you had with Wayne was at 3.30pm. He said he would call.

RD: He sent me a text.

SG: I think he phoned you some time after 4pm.

RD: It was after 4pm but I can't remember exactly.

SG: Did he say what he was doing?

RD: No. Wait, he said he was doing college stuff and his mother had put a virus disk into the computer and he was checking it.

SG: How did he sound to you?

RD: He sounded normal.

SG: And you had no specific time arranged.

RD: He just said he would come back later.

SG: I think you recall The Simpsons were on television. Did you watch that with Wayne?

RD: I did.

SG: And what was his demeanour at that stage?

RD: He seemed fine.

SG: Was there much conversation?

RD: I can't recall. Probably chit-chat.

SG: I think you left before The Simpsons finished - as you know, The Simpsons finishes at 6.30pm - and you drove to Wayne's house.

RD: That's right. It was Wayne's turn to walk the dog, so we took him up the road.

Ms Dennehy was shown a photograph of the area, and was asked to identify a fork in the road.

RD: We went left out of Wayne's drive.

SG: In the direction of the fork in the road?

RD: Yes.

SG: Were you aware at that stage that Robert Holohan was missing?

RD: Not at that stage.

SG: I think you walked the dog for 10 minutes or so.

RD: We strolled up the road and back again.

SG: You got back to Wayne's house and went into Wayne's room, and played on the PlayStation for 15 to 20 minutes.

RD: That's correct.

SG: And you left Wayne's house shortly after 7pm. I think you went into Midleton with a DVD to drop to Xtravision.

RD: That's right.

SG: And I think you just dropped it in the rapid return box outside the door.

RD: Yes, outside the door.

SG: And I think Wayne was driving and he drove you back to your house.

RD: Yes.

SG: Do you know where he was going?

RD: He said he was going to sort out college stuff.

SG: Did he call again?

RD: About 8.30pm ... I was watching The Swan on TV3 at the time.

SG: Did Wayne say anything to you about Robert being missing?

Ms Dennehy said Robert's mother, Majella, had already rung her.

SG: You were aware Robert was missing, and I think Wayne stayed with you until 9pm.

RD: Yes.

SG: You were watching it (The Swan) in the sitting room of your house. The two of you were on your own. How did Wayne O'Donoghue appear to you at that stage?

RD: He seemed normal.

SG: I think he phoned you 20 minutes after he left.

RD: Yes.

SG: Did he say anything about Robert?

RD: He said they were just looking for Robert.

SG: And did you receive text messages from him after that?

RD: I can't remember. I had no credit.

SG: Did he call you early the following morning?

RD: He rang me at about two o'clock.

SG: Did he say anything more about the search for Robert Holohan?

RD: He said a few people were in the woods. They were all out searching for Robert.

SG: Did he say anything about having contact with Robert?

RD: He said he had called earlier and asked him to take him to McDonald's, but Wayne said traffic was too bad.

He said: 'I feel like it's my fault. If I had taken him to McDonald's maybe he would still be around.' He seemed very upset and worried.

SG: Was he crying?

RD: No.

SG: In the course of the week and more that followed you were in contact with Wayne on numerous occasions.

RD: That's true.

SG: I think you had some difficulty in distinguishing individual instances.

RD: Yes.

SG: Did Wayne say anything to you about any views gardaí might have had in relation to the investigation?

RD: Not really. Everyone was talking about what might have happened, but I don't think he mentioned the gardaí.

Mr Guerin asked if O'Donoghue said anything about views the gardaí may have had about him.

RD: He did say once or twice that because he was the last person to see him (Robert) they thought he might have been involved.

SG: Did he speak to you about the process of being interviewed by gardaí?

RD: Yes, I think he did.

SG: What did he say?

RD: I think he was upset by the whole thing.

SG: Was Wayne keeping up to date about the search and the investigation?

RD: Everyone was reading the papers and watching the news at that time.

SG: Can you say what Wayne was doing?

RD: We often read the papers and watched the news together.

Mr Guerin asked if O'Donoghue had spoken to her about being interviewed by gardaí.

RD: On the first morning he felt they were a bit hard on him, I think.

He said the second time he found it a bit easier.

SG: You later became aware that Wayne had been involved in the disappearance of Robert.

RD: That's correct.

SG: I think you had met Wayne the day before you became aware of this.

RD: That's right.

SG: I think he called.

SG: Did Wayne say anything to you about what he'd been reading in the papers?

RD: He said there was a profile of what they thought the abductor looked like.

SG: Did he express any view on the garda investigation?

RD: He said it looked like they were close to making an arrest.

SG: Did he say anything to you about the relationship between him and the garda investigation?

RD: At that time?

SG: Yes.

RD: He said that they probably thought he was involved.

Mr Blaise O'Carroll SC, for the defence, then cross-examined Rebecca Dennehy and asked her when she last saw her boyfriend Wayne.

RD: The 16th (of January) was the last time I saw him.

BOC: In relation to the events of January 4, 2005, can you explain to the court the various contacts you had with Wayne O'Donoghue during the day?

RD: Yes.

BOC: Would it be fair to say the first time you became aware that Robert Holohan was missing was as you watched the Swan programme around 8.30pm to 9pm (that day)?

RD: Yes.

BOC: As far as you are concerned you found nothing untoward about Wayne when you were on the phone to him or when you were in his company up to the time you heard Robert was missing?

RD: Yes.

Mr O'Carroll then asks Rebecca again about what Wayne was like following the disappearance of Robert.

BOC: He telephoned you at 2am on January 5 and told you about his concern because he had not taken Robert to McDonald's and Robert would still be here.

RD: Yes.

BOC: You met Wayne in May 2004?

RD: Yes

BOC: Did you fall in love with him?

RD: I did, yeah.

BOC: The relationship you had with him - how frequently would the two of you meet?

RD: I would see him more after school and especially at weekends.

BOC: You assisted the gardaí with their investigations into the death of Robert Holohan as well.

RD: Yes.

BOC: In the context of doing that, did you make any reference to relationships with other females that Wayne O'Donoghue had had prior to the commencement of your relationship?

RD: Yes, I was asked questions.

BOC: In your statement you make reference to two other ladies?

RD: Yes.

BOC: Your relationship started in May 2004. The relationships he had with other girls prior to the commencement of yours - were they of a similar duration?

RD: Don't know.

Rebecca then says she has known Wayne since she was 12 or 13.

BOC: Was that because of the proximity of the Dennehy and O'Donoghue households?

RD: No, through school.

BOC: In the context of your relationship, did you have occasion to go to the O'Donoghue household?

RD: Yes.

BOC: And can you say how often you would go to Wayne's house?

RD: I could not say but I was up there all the time.

BOC: Did you take to his mum and dad?

RD: Yes.

BOC: Did they welcome you?

RD: Yes, with open arms.

BOC: Did you get on with his two younger brothers?

RD: Yes.

BOC: How did you get on?

RD: I got on great with them.

BOC: Did you get to know Robert as well?

RD: Yes.

BOC: Can you give the jury a flavour of how you came to meet him (Robert) for the first time and perhaps you might describe your perception of the relationship between Robert and your boyfriend Wayne?

RD: I was walking up from town and Wayne was parked at the Spar garage and he had Robert and (Robert's friend) Heather in the car.

He was bringing them to town for an ice-cream ... and Robert was hyperactive, a typical 11-year-old.

BOC: What was your perspective on how Wayne and Robert seemed to gel together?

RD: I always thought they got on well together. Wayne was mad about Robert and Wayne treated him like a younger brother.

BOC: How often would you have been in the company of Robert?

RD: I could not say exactly but he was always in and out.

BOC: Did you ever observe Wayne become cross or upset or annoyed or show any negative emotion towards Robert?

RD: Oh, never.

BOC: How did he get on with Robert?

RD: It was always typical boys ... like the PlayStation and stuff. They got on really well.

BOC: Did he ever say anything of a derogatory nature?

RD: Never.

BOC: You say he never said anything of a derogatory nature and the only word he ever said was that Robert was hyper.

RD: Correct.

BOC: In relation to the search - did you take part?

RD: I did, yes.

BOC: How many times?

RD: I think three days.

BOC: From the period of time between January 4 and January 12, when Robert's body was discovered in Inch, did you meet Wayne?

RD: Yes.

BOC: How often?

RD: Probably nearly every day.

BOC: You would have been texting each other every day and be on the phone to each other every day.

RD: Yes.

BOC: You spent a good period of time in his company.

RD: That's true, yes.

BOC: How would you describe the demeanour of Wayne O'Donoghue during that time?

RD: There were times when he was extremely quiet and usually Wayne would be talking non-stop but there would be times when he was into himself. There were times when he would call and be gone again and he was up and down and agitated.

BOC: Had you ever been to Inch before you met Wayne O'Donoghue?

RD: Yes.

BOC: When? In the context of the family?

RD: Yes, during the summer.

BOC: Did you ever see him in Inch?

RD: A few times.

BOC: Before the commencement of your relationship?

RD: Yes.

BOC: Had Wayne ever taken you down to Inch?

RD: Yes.

BOC: How often?

RD: During the summer I went about five or six times.

BOC: What's the relationship between Inch and Midleton?

RD: It's about 15 to 20 minutes' drive away.

BOC: Is it the place Midleton people go when they go to the beach?

RD: Yes.

BOC: Can you say when the last time you saw Robert was?

RD: On New Year's Day there was a Mass for my grandad in Midleton Church. Robert was with Wayne and Nicky (Wayne's brother).

BOC: On January 16 you went to the O'Donoghue household and Wayne told you himself that he had been responsible for the death of Robert.

RD: Yes.

BOC: What was his demeanour?

RD: He looked wrecked. He was tired and he was crying and shaking. It was horrible.

BOC: What kind of person do you think he (Wayne) is?

RD: He is brilliant and I just get on so well with him. He is genuine and caring. I could not fault Wayne personally.

BOC: Prior to January 4 you describe it as a "touchy-feely" sort of relationship. Would it be normal for you to kiss each other on parting company?

RD: Yes.

BOC: Did you notice any change in him?

Rebecca then recalls how Wayne visited her on the morning of January 16. That afternoon he was to confess to gardaí he had killed Robert.

RD: During that morning - the morning of January 16 - when he left he did not kiss me, which is unusual.

BOC: Do you recall parting company from Wayne O'Donoghue on the evening of January 4 when he left to go to participate in the search?

RD: Yes.

BOC: Do you remember there was a brief conversation about how the two of you had got on so well over the Christmas period?

RD: I do.

BOC: Do you recall him kissing you goodbye?

RD: I do, yes.

BOC: Do you remember saying to the gardaí: "Our relationship was not as physical after that night"?

The court then heard Rebecca said in her gardaí statement that they would hold hands and hug but "it would not be the same".

BOC: When you were talking to the gardaí you put that down to Robert's disappearance?

RD: Yes, I thought Wayne was upset.

She also remembered him crying and being quiet during the time after the disappearance.

BOC: Do you remember speaking with the guards ... and talking about the search on January 6 and describing Wayne as quiet but "I didn't think anything by it"?

RD: Yes.

The court heard that Rebecca told gardaí in a statement: "That evening I was on the phone once or twice and knew by the way he sounded that he was very down. He just kept very quiet and said he was fine but I knew differently. He said he was fine but I knew he was upset."

BOC: You put that down to the fact that he was a friend of Robert?

RD: Yes.

She went to see him and found him "not himself" and unable to settle, the court heard.

Mr O'Carroll then asked Rebecca about the time after Robert's body was found.

BOC: After the body of Robert was found did you go with Wayne O'Donoghue in the car down to Inch?

RD: Yes. We drove down and I stayed in the car and Wayne got out, put some flowers down and said a prayer and we drove back.

Rebecca then told the court of her love for the accused.

RD: I love him to bits and I still feel the same way today. I just can't comprehend how it happened. Wayne is such a good person. It broke my heart to hear it. Wayne always treated me like a queen from the day I met him.

BOC: Was he a genuine and caring person?

RD: Yes. He was always there for me any time I needed him, day or night.

Compiled by Paul Kelly and David O'Mahony.