MURDER accused Cathal O’Sullivan (45) said his girlfriend, who was found dead with 125 different injuries to her body in his flat, was “happy” dying beside him as both sang songs to each other.

O’Sullivan, who denies the murder of mother of three Nicola Collins (38), said the last moments of her life were “kind of deep.”

A Central Criminal Court jury heard that the blood of Ms Collins was found all over the grey sports top of the defendant.

Ms Collins was found dead in a flat at Popham’s Road, Farranree, Cork in the early hours of March 27 2017 with a total of 125 different cuts, bruises and lacerations on her body.

She died from a serious head injury caused by blunt force trauma with two of her front teeth missing and her jaw fractured.

Paramedics found her naked body lying on the bedroom floor of the flat with her feet resting on the edge of the bed.

She was partly covered by a blood-stained towel. Her blood was found in both the bedroom and bathroom of the flat.

Ms Justice Eileen Creedon and a jury of nine men and three women heard evidence of Garda interviews with the defendant.

In one statement, the defendant said he desperately tried to revive Ms Collins, performing cardiac pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) until he felt weak himself from lack of breath.

“It was kind of deep. It was her (Ms Collins) dying with me – she was happy.”

“We were singing songs before she passed away.”

“I tried to bring her back. I shouted at her: ‘Nicola, come back.’ F***ing wake up. I thought that she was only joking, like. I thought that she was holding her breath to freak me out.”

“I was calling out to everything (for help) – to even Buddha.”

“I wish Nicola was here because she would tell you she was 100pc OK with that night.”

O’Sullivan repeatedly denied having assaulted Ms Collins over the four days she was staying at this flat.

“She got injured while coming at me. I did not assault her.”

The defendant said he struggled with Ms Collins one day to take a knife away from her. He also said she had kicked him in the face only to fall off the bed and onto a heater.

The defendant insisted he had not rang for an ambulance until 3am on March 27 because he did not want to “betray” Ms Collins wishes.

He said she had earlier vomited blood in his flat and did not want medical help.

“Why didn’t I call an ambulance? Because she f***ing told me (not to).

I should have called an ambulance.”

Prosecutor Tom Creed SC said it was the State case that the defendant beat Ms Collins to death.

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