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Court told that boat death husband 'degraded' wife

Lu Na McKinney
Lu Na McKinney Lu Na McKinney

A MAN charged with murdering his wife on a family boating holiday allegedly subjected her to "controlling, degrading and manipulating" treatment, the High Court has heard.

Prosecutors claimed Stephen McKinney had verbally abused 35-year-old Lu Na McKinney about their sex life before her death at Devenish Island on Lough Erne, Co Fermanagh last April.

A judge was also told the 41-year-old accused provided varying recollections of how his wife fell into the water while checking their mooring and after taking sleeping pills.

According to a pharmacology expert she couldn't have functioned as described due to the "hypnotic-sedative effect" of the drugs in her system.

It was further alleged that she had once spoke about a case where another woman went missing from a cruise ship and stated that if anything should happen to her "it would be Stephen".

McKinney, originally from Strabane but with an address at The Flax Fields in Lifford, Co Donegal, denies murder, insisting he tried in vain to rescue her.

Adjourning his application for bail, Lord Chief Justice Sir Declan Morgan indicated he was minded to release the defendant if a suitable address can be found.

The court heard that after marrying in 2003 the couple moved between the Republic of Ireland and China, returning to Donegal in 2016.

In a statement to police, McKinney said he had taught English to students online and hoped to find further work in the same field.

According to his account they hired the boat to go on a two-night Easter break with their two children, aged 14 and 11.

He confirmed there were only two life jackets on the cruiser, used by his son and daughter, and claimed they had set off without two more being provided because of the excitement of the trip.

On the night his wife died McKinney claimed she took possibly two sleeping tablets the couple had previously purchased on the internet.

Crown lawyer Kate McKay set out how the accused told police he was later woken by Mrs McKinney standing beside him fully dressed, saying she thought the boat was moving and was going out to check the ropes.

McKinney claimed he followed his wife out onto the deck, saw her fall overboard and possibly shout for help.

He said that he immediately jumped into the lough and managed to get hold of her.

But she couldn't swim and was struggling.

McKinney claimed that after he lost grip of his wife she was "gone".

He recalled pulling himself back onto the boat and using the torch function on his mobile phone to search for her before calling 999 for help.

However, Mrs McKay disclosed a pharmacology expert's opinion that it would not have been possible for Mrs McKinney to function as described by her husband due to the level of drugs in her system.

"Optimum effects would leave Lu Na experiencing a hypnotic-sedative effect," the prosecutor said.

The court also heard that mobile phones and computers seized from McKinney led to the recovery skype chats, sex videos and sexual images involving the defendant, his wife and other unknown individuals.

One chat log from 2014 included more than 1,000 entries and took place while McKinney was either separated from or moving away from his family, Mrs McKay said.

She claimed they depicted him as being verbally abusive towards his wife about their sex life, blaming her for their separation and then encouraging her to take part in activities.

"This is eventually agreed by Lu Na, saying she will change and do whatever McKinney wishes if he will come back to the family," the barrister continued.

"From reading the entirety of this chat it can be said that McKinney is displaying controlling, degrading treatment toward Lu Na, and manipulating Lu Na to the extent that regardless how she answers or agrees to McKinney's request the goalposts are continually moved."

Defence counsel Martin McCann countered that witness evidence against his client involved "second or third-hand hearsay".

He insisted that Mr McKinney had attempted to save his wife and failed.

Disputing that a prima facie circumstantial case had been established against his client, Mr McCann added: "The circumstances appear to consist of rumour and innuendo."