A mother of one from India was in Ireland just three months when she was found dead in a heavily blood-stained bedroom of her Cork home having sustained a 14-centimetre incised wound to the front of her neck, a trial has heard.
Regin Parithapara Rajan (43) has gone on trial at a sitting of the Central Criminal Court in Cork charged with the murder of his wife Deepa Paruthiyezhuth Dinamani at Cardinal Court in Wilton, Cork on July 14th, 2023.
Sean Gillane, SC for the Prosecution, gave the jurors an outline of the case this afternoon. However, he stressed that this was a thumbnail sketch of the evidence and not evidence in itself.
He said that the evidence of the pathologist who carried out a postmortem on Deepa would be that she died of “blood loss — complicated by inhalation of blood caused by the wound.” He stated that main strap muscle of the neck was severed.
Mr Gillane told the jurors that they would hear evidence that by the summer of 2023 difficulties had developed in the marriage of Deepa and Regin who had wed in 2015. Mr Gillane said that the marriage had “cooled” and that the couple were sleeping in separate bedrooms.
“She (Deepa) was considering divorce and moving on.”
Mr Gillane said that Deepa Dinamani grew up in Kerala in India where her retired parents still live. He stated that the 38-year-old chartered accountant was “well regarded” and “well educated.”
Fluent in English and interested in travelling she worked in London for a period. Mr Gillane said that in addition to being a much-loved daughter Deepa provided “financial assistance” to her family in India.
Mr Gillane said that Deepa and Regin were from the same general area but didn’t meet until 2015. They married the same year and had a son in 2018. He indicated that Deepa began researching the possibility of working abroad again.
Mr Gillane said that Deepa was an “attractive candidate” because of her skill set. She started working in a finance company in Cork in the spring of 2023 having secured accommodation for the family in Wilton in the city.
Mr Gillane said that Deepa and her husband and son were living in Cardinal Court in Wilton. One room in the property was being sublet to a nurse at the nearby hospital.
Mr Gillane said that on July 14th, 2023 the young son of the couple went to a summer camp. He said that the jury will hear that Mr Rajan called a man living in Cork, but known to him from India, asking him if he could pick up his son after camp as a he had a job interview. It is the case of the State that no such interview existed.
Mr Gillane said that the evidence will be that the man agreed to pick the boy up from camp. He said that the man will give evidence that the youngster was picked up, brought for food and taken to his home in the city.
Mr Gillane said at 7pm that day the man allegedly contacted the nurse who was subletting with Regin and Deepa. He said that he had been trying to arrange for Regin to pick his son up but hadn’t received a response.
Mr Gillane, said that the nurse was in her room at home in Wilton and hadn’t noticed “anything untoward.” She said she thought the house was empty. The man told the nurse that he planned to bring the youngster back home.
He said that the evidence will be that when this occurred the man allegedly spoke to Mr Rajan, who was in the property, and that a smell of alcohol was noted. The man, his wife and the nurse went for a short walk.
Mr Gillane said that the jury will hear that when they returned Regin Rajan allegedly asked to speak to the man.
“To his shock Mr Rajan said he had killed his wife and that she was inside. He also said he had stabbed her with a knife.”
It is alleged that both the accused and the man rang 999 at around 10pm and that Mr Rajan indicated during his call to the emergency services that he had killed his wife.
Mr Gillane said that the emergency services were called to the scene and the body of Ms Dinamani was found in a heavily blood-stained bedroom.
“It was immediately apparent that she had passed and that nothing could be done. An investigation was launched and a blood-stained knife was recovered.”
The State case will be that a palm print of the accused was on the knife and that the knife was purchased by Mr Rajan two days prior. Mr Rajan denies murdering his wife contrary to common law. The trial is expected to last up to three weeks and will require a “significant number of witnesses.
It is being presided over by Ms Justice Siobhan Lankford. The jury is comprised of seven women and five men. The trial will continue on Tuesday afternoon.
