The jury in the Dungannon Crown Court trial of a 44-year-old father of two accused of murdering his wife four years ago, were told on Wednesday that he will not be giving evidence in his own defence.

And the jury of eight men and four women also learned that Stephen McKinney will not be calling any other evidence in the case which has been running from the end of April.

Trial judge Madam Justice McBride has sent them away until Wednesday of next week when prosecution QC Richard Weir will make his final submissions to them followed by Martin O’Rourke QC for the defence.

Not giving evidence
Earlier on Wednesday, Mr. O’Rourke told Her Ladyship that McKinney would not be giving evidence and that he had been advised the jury may draw what inference they might over his not going into the witness box.

McKinney who lived with his family in Convoy, Co Donegal, but now with an address in Castletown Square, Fintona in Tyrone, denies murdering his 35-year-old wife Lu Na during a family boating holiday on Lower Lough Erne on April 13, 2017.

The prosecution claim McKinney, originally from Strabane, was a controlling man, who’d tired of her, yet unwilling to accept she might divorce him “killed his wife”. And that Lu Na’s death was “no tragic boating accident”.

The boating holiday along with their two children was supposed to be a treat and to celebrate the couple’s up and coming 14th wedding anniversary. During his police interviews, McKinney maintained to the end of his police interviews he had nothing to do with his wife death.

And after nearly 24 hours of questioning, in 25 interviews over five days while he rejected any suggestion he had, he blamed himself for failing to save her, and feels he could have done more.

“I still cannot believe it... its been seven months and two weeks and I can’t accept it....I never will,” he told detectives, ending by saying he still looks for his wife everywhere and he “never will” accept she is gone.

This is the second time that McKinney has been on trial. Last year his original trial had to be abandoned because of the start of the outbreak of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. 

Next week following final submissions form the prosecution and defence, Madame Justice McBride will outline the facts for the jury and also detail them on the law involved before asking them to retire to consider they verdict in the trial.