Nigerian man goes on trial accused of murdering his wife in Ireland

Unison:

The trial is underway of a 32-year-old Nigerian man accused of bludgeoning his wife to death in north Dublin over three years ago.

Goodwill Udechuckwu denies murdering 25-year-old Natasha Gray at their flat in Royal Canal View in Phibsboro.

In opening the case, the State's lawyer told the jury that the victim came to Ireland from Jamaica in the late 1990s.

She worked in various hospitals in Dublin, including Our Lady's Hospice and St James's.

She had a child from a previous relationship and met the accused in September 2001.

They married four months later and had one child together.

The court heard that, at the time of her death, a number of people were living in the flat in Phibsboro, including the victim's two children, her sister and the sister's family.

According to the State, the accused came to stay on February 12th, 2003, and it's alleged that, on February 18th, he murdered his wife by hitting her on the head a number of times with a lump hammer.

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