A 45-YEAR-OLD Dublin woman worked “as a unit and as part of an agreement” with her boyfriend to shoot two men whose bodies were found on a lake island over a decade ago, a murder trial has heard.

Opening of the trial of Ruth Lawrence at the Central Criminal Court today, counsel for the State said the 12 jurors will hear evidence that the accused woman shot one of the two men, but that the particular shot was not fatal and was “quickly followed up” by a shot from the defendant’s boyfriend.

Ruth Lawrence, who is originally from Clontarf in Dublin but with an address at Patricks Cottage, Ross, Mountnugent, Co Meath, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Anthony Keegan (33) and Eoin O’Connor (32) at an unknown location on a date unknown between 22 April and 26 May 2014, both dates inclusive.

Opening the State’s case at the Central Criminal Court today, Michael O’Higgins SC, for the Director of Public Prosecutions, said the prosecution can last place Mr Keegan and Mr O’Connor as being alive on the early evening of 22 April 2014 and “thereafter they disappeared from sight.”

Counsel said the bodies of the two deceased men were recovered on 26 May 2014 on Inchicup Island on Lough Sheelin, which “straddles” the borders of counties Meath, Westmeath and Cavan.

O’Higgins said the jury would hear that Patricks Cottage is where Lawrence lived with her boyfriend Neville van der Westhuizen, which is on the Westmeath side of Lough Sheelin.

O’Higgins added: “Where the bodies were hidden, the island is about 100 metres from the shoreline, at a point very close to the cottage”.

He said the postmortems established that both men died from gunshot wounds.

Detailing the evidence that will be heard, counsel said Mr Keegan was shot in the neck and head whilst Mr O’Connor was shot in the head and stomach.

The barrister said the jury would hear from expert forensic witnesses as well as ordinary people giving evidence of what they saw and things they heard being said.

The issue in the case, O’Higgins said, was whether the evidence established that Lawrence murdered the two men.

O’Higgins said that sometimes, more than one person can be involved in a murder, such as those who plan it and getaway drivers.

However, he said where different parts of a team are operating with a common goal that phrase is known as joint enterprise or common design.

He added: “The person who pulls the trigger and the person who provides the firearm and the person who is waiting down the road to drive the shooter away; provided they are working towards the same common aim, each is guilty of murder even though one may not be at the scene where the person was shot”.

The barrister said the prosecution are contending that Lawrence did work with another person “particularly her boyfriend” and they were “working as a unit, as part of an agreement to kill Mr O’Connor and Mr Keegan”.

Counsel said the prosecution will be contending on the evidence lead before the jury that Lawrence shot Mr O’Connor.

“The particular shot discharged did not appear to be fatal but was quickly followed up by a shot by her boyfriend,” said the barrister.

The lawyer said it was contended that van der Westhuizen shot Mr Keegan but as the accused and van der Westhuizen were acting as a team “it was contended both are guilty of the offence of murder”.

The trial continues this afternoon before Justice Tony Hunt and a jury of four men and eight women.

It is expected to last until 14 November.