Forsey's ex hears him call her 'a liar' in court

Eimear Ni Bhraonain

THE ex-wife of Fred Forsey turned up in court for the first time since giving her explosive testimony last week.

Jenny Forsey took her seat in the front row of the public gallery as she listened intently to her ex-husband being cross-examined by the prosecution for a second day running.

She took her seat in the row where her ex's partner, Karen Morrissey, had been sitting on previous days.

Ms Morrissey was not inside the courtroom early yesterday morning, but took her place in the gallery in the afternoon.

When she arrived in the public gallery at 3pm yesterday, Karen Morrissey was accompanied by Fred Forsey's mother. Wearing a green coat, the young woman cut a stylish figure as she walked past Jenny Forsey.

Jenny Forsey, dressed in smart casual attire of blue jeans and a navy top, left the Wexford Circuit Court room shortly after Ms Morrissey walked in.

Fred Forsey Jnr (43), of Coolagh Road, Dungarvan, Co Waterford, denies corruptly accepting payments totalling €80,000 from a property developer in 2006. He claims the money was a loan which he intended to pay back in full.

Jenny Forsey looked at the father of her three children as Denis Vaughan Buckley, for the State, posed questions to Forsey. Mr Vaughan Buckley wanted to know which banks Forsey had sought a loan from, and who, in each institution had he dealt with.

"Why did you tell the guards that you had applied to both Allied Irish Banks and Permanent TSB for loans when you didn't?" he asked. Forsey explained he had phoned the bank and the person he spoke to told him "it wouldn't look good" that his mortgage was in arrears. He said he also went to the Dungarvan Mortgage Centre but they ran a credit history and he was advised that the "only way" he'd get to remortgage the house where he lived with Jenny and their three children, was "with a high interest crowd".

Quizzed

He explained how he received €33,646.32 from a sub-prime lender. When quizzed on why, he told gardai he had contacted AIB and filled out forms at the time. Forsey said he was "very confused".

"I am going around trying to get mortgages off of loads of different banks," he explained. He said he was filling out forms on the internet looking for a loan. Next, Forsey was asked about his wife Jenny's evidence. Mrs Forsey had said, under oath, that her husband told her he received €30,000 in August 2006 -- and not €60,000 -- from the developer.

"No, she lied," Forsey said when asked yesterday while his ex-wife looked on.

"You say she's a liar?" said Mr Vaughan Buckley.

"I do indeed," retorted Forsey, adding that his ex-wife, "gave a couple of lies" in evidence. He said Jenny Forsey knew there was a loan agreement between him and the developer as he kept it in a file in their house. "She would have known it was €60,000," he said. "She would have seen the loan agreement in the house."

The trial continues.

hnews@herald.ie