A PRISON OFFICER based at Limerick Prison this evening told the trial of a woman that he heard her threaten to rape and kill a fellow inmate at the prison last year.

Prison officer, Aiden O’Meara, said he heard the accused, Barbie Kardashian, threaten to rape and kill Tegan McGhee on 25 February, 2023.

“She threatened to kill her, and she threatened to rape her with an implement and leave her in such a way that she could not have children,” the prison officer alleged.

“I have no doubt that the threat was made with malice and forethought,” he told Kardashian’s trial at Limerick Circuit Criminal Court.

Continuing his direct evidence to the court, O’Meara said Kardashian later confirmed to him that she had meant the threat.

O’Meara said Kardashian told him: “Yes, I did say that, I meant it, and if I get the chance, I will carry it out. She (Tegan McGhee) deserves to be punished”.

O’Meara said McGhee was “visibly shaking, crying and clearly upset” afterwards.

He said that he and an assistant chief officer at the prison on the day conducted a “welfare check” with McGhee in her cell afterwards “to assure her that no harm would come to her”.

O’Meara said that Kardashian issued the threats after she questioned why McGhee had complained about Kardashian to prison officers for allegedly leaving the prison showers dirty.

Kardashian was not permitted to mix with the rest of the female prison population on the Echo-1 (E1) wing at the prison, the court heard.

Cleaning showers

Earlier, McGhee gave direct evidence that she had a cleaning job on the E1 wing, which included cleaning the floors and washing the prisoner’s shower room.

McGhee said there was an “ongoing issue” with “hair” on the walls of the shower area.

She said that Kardashian arrived outside her closed, locked cell door, and through the door, asked her if she had accused her of leaving the showers dirty.

McGhee said she told Kardashian she had complained about her to prison officers in respect of the showers.

“Barbie said I’m going to rape you, so you can’t have any more children. I was kind of in shock, and I pressed the emergency button in my cell for the officer to come to the door,” McGhee continued.

“I know her voice, she was the person who said it; it’s not really an Irish accent, it’s a sort of American accent, not Irish.

“I was extremely shocked and upset and disgusted that someone could say something like that.”

Under cross-examination from senior defence counsel Andrew Sexton, instructed by Yvonne Quinn BL and solicitor Julianne Kiely, #McGhee agreed she had never actually met, seen nor spoken to Kardashian prior to their alleged exchange on the day.

Catherine Halley, a supervising prison officer on the female prison wing on the day, gave evidence in court that on the afternoon in question, she heard some of the prisoners discussing “the state of the showers”.

Halley said she observed Kardashian coming from the shower room and stopping outside at McGhee’s cell.

The witness said she heard Kardashian ask McGhee had she accused of her leaving the showers dirty.

“What I heard next was Barbie say to Tegan: ‘If I get my hands on you, I will rape you with an implement and you will not be able to have kids again’,” Halley alleged.

Halley said that after this, she and O’Meara went out onto the landing and directed Kardashian “to go back to her cell, and she did”.

Kardashian has pleaded not guilty to threatening to kill or cause serious harm to McGhee in February 2023.

She has also pleaded not guilty to a further three charges of threatening to kill or cause serious harm to Róisín Linnane, who was working as prison officer at Limerick Prison on dates in 2023.

The trial continues tomorrow before a jury of seven women and five men, when O’Meara will face cross-examination from Kardashian’s barristers.

Linnane is also expected to give direct evidence Wednesday.