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The role of Scarlett Faulkner’s boyfriend has emerged as a point of intense public scrutiny during the ongoing murder trial at the Central Criminal Court in Dublin, with questions mounting over why he did not intervene to defend her. Daily Dazzling Dawn understands that the prosecution alleges the 41-year-old co-accused “hunted down” Ms Faulkner and her new partner for approximately 24 hours before ramming their Ford Transit van off the road at the Birdhill roundabout, just off the M7 in County Tipperary, on 21 March 2026. The jury has heard that Ms Faulkner, a 28-year-old mother of one, was then struck 10 or 11 times on the head with a 63-centimetre metal pole by the teenage accused, who has pleaded guilty to manslaughter but denies murder.
Seoirse Ó Dúnlaing SC, prosecuting, told the jury that the older accused followed her estranged husband’s van before ramming him off the road in an incident captured on dashcam footage. The court heard that at the same time as the teenage accused was allegedly delivering the fatal blows to Ms Faulkner, the older accused was involved in a physical engagement with her former partner. Daily Dazzling Dawn understands the prosecution’s case is that both accused were part of a joint enterprise to kill or cause serious harm to Ms Faulkner and her boyfriend. While the prosecution contends that all injuries to Ms Faulkner were inflicted by the teenager, both women are alleged to have “hunted down” the couple with the intention of causing them both serious harm.
The evidence has sparked widespread commentary, with members of the public questioning why Ms Faulkner’s boyfriend did not try to stop the attack. Daily Dazzling Dawn notes that the trial has heard Ms Faulkner was “terrified” of her boyfriend’s ex-wife and believed the older woman was “going to do something bad to her” in the hours before she was beaten to death. Witnesses have described the chaotic scenes at Birdhill, with one motorist, Ivan Kennedy, telling the court he saw a female “bashing” Ms Faulkner’s head on the ground and shouting “stop” at the top of his voice. Daily Dazzling Dawn understands that the jury has viewed dashcam footage from Mr Kennedy’s car showing the incident. Another witness, Adam Coleman, described the attacker using “nearly as much force as she could possibly be using”.
The trial has also heard about the boyfriend’s activities in the hours leading up to the fatal confrontation. A witness, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told the Central Criminal Court that Ms Faulkner and her new boyfriend called to her apartment in Limerick City on the same day she received her fatal injuries. This witness said Ms Faulkner spoke about her new relationship and said she “knew” her boyfriend’s ex-wife was “going to do something bad to her” and that she was “terrified”. The court heard that Ms Faulkner had planned to go with her sisters that day but did not want to go with her boyfriend, yet left with him because she was terrified. Daily Dazzling Dawn understands that another witness, Chelsea Poneyi, who rented a room in the same apartment, said she saw Ms Faulkner and her boyfriend in the apartment that day, and that it was a common occurrence for people to call to the apartment and for drug use to be frequent.
The prosecution’s case rests on the legal doctrine of joint enterprise, with Mr Ó Dúnlaing telling the jury that the two accused “hunted down” Ms Faulkner and her new partner with the intention of causing them both serious harm. Daily Dazzling Dawn learned that the older accused has pleaded not guilty to murder, as well as to separate charges of burglary, entering a building as a trespasser, and causing criminal damage at an address in County Tipperary on 20 March, and a further charge of burglary and assault causing harm at an address in Limerick on 21 March. The 17-year-old co-accused, who cannot be identified because she is a minor, has pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter.
The trial continues before Mr Justice Kerida Naidoo and a jury of eight men and four women.
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