Sixteen film files of an “adult pornographic nature” and still images of “mutilated bodies” were found on the hard drive of Elaine O’Hara’s laptop, a jury at the Central Criminal Court has heard.
Images were also found of Ms O’Hara clothed, partially clothed and naked.
Detective Garda Bríd Wallace, of the garda computer crime unit, said some of the images were taken by herself and some by another person.
Graham Dwyer (42), an architect from Kerrymount Close in Foxrock, is charged with murdering childcare worker Ms O'Hara (36) on August 22nd, 2012. He has pleaded not guilty.
Ms O’ Hara’s remains were found in forestry on Kilakee Mountain, Rathfarnham, on September 13th, 2013.
Det Garda Wallace told the court some downloaded files on Ms O’Hara’s Apple Macbook had logos on them, which meant they were clearly related to websites with BDSM (Bondage Domination Sadism and Masochism) content, the court was told.
Other files showed family gatherings and sporting events. There were also mainstream movies, and TV series including CSI and NCIS.
There was also a photograph of Ms O’Hara wearing a red hoodie standing in front of curtains with oriental characters on it.
Det Garda Wallace said this image was taken with a Fujifilm Dinepix camera on November 5th, 2008.
A picture of a naked tied-up woman that the jury had seen on Ms O’Hara’s profile, helpmelearn, on Alt.com, was also found on the computer.
Det Garda Wallace said some of the photos were of Ms O’Hara clothed, some partially clothed and some unclothed. In one of the naked shots there was a mole on her right breast, the officer said.
There were also images of healed or partially healed injuries above the waist line.
Though many of the photos were shown to the judge, jury and counsel, they were not displayed on the large screens in court.
Among the documents found on Ms O’Hara’s computer was a pdf of a book entitled Serial Violence: Analysis of Modus Operandi and Signature Characteristics of Killers.
Det Garda Wallace said the book file contained graphic images of mutilated bodies and crime scene photographs.
Letters were also found on the laptop addressed to “Stuart”. One, dated April 1st, 2010, said the author was “too angry” and her thoughts were “all negative”.
“I don’t have the energy to fight the anger and do all the positive changes at the same time,” the letter said.
A second letter to “Stuart”, dated June 25th, 2012, and signed off by Ms O’Hara, said she was “so mad at you”.
“I know you are only doing your job, but I’m so f**king mad,” she said. It said she could make small talk, but she was scared she could not go any further.
“I didn’t like your tone when you said I had to get out there and meet people,” she said. She asked if it was worth her going back and explained she sometimes wrote things down because she couldn’t explain it.
“I hope you don’t mind, Elaine O’Hara”.
A document entitled “Outline of a Slave” was also on the computer.
Det Garda Wallace said it was created on September 18th, 2010 and she believed it originated somewhere else as it had an editing time of only two minutes.
The document said it was offering “sadistic and brutal treatment for masochistic slaves”. It said slaves were possessions and loved “as a pet or as a cherished car”; they are not “a wife or a mistress”.
“You will be offered an annual slavery contract with no early release for any reason. You will be either kept in a heavy duty steel cage or a locked cell in my cellars,” it said.
“After initial training to my standards you will be expected to work as a slave part time in my restaurant. If you are a UK national class 3 NI stamps will be paid.”
It said nothing would be done that would result in “death or serious injury”.
“I have plenty of Dom friends so expect occasionally to have no holds barred heavy use.”
It said a slave should expect “piercings, breast skewering, branding and breast suspension”.
“I’m not here for online fantasies but the real thing … my aim is to create the perfect obedient masochistic slave” it said.
“Slavery is about domination and control, sex is just part of it.”
A document marked “private”, created on April 15th, 2009, with a total editing time of 44 minutes, told a story in the first person of someone abducted and held in a cellar. It was 792 words long and graphically described being tied up, chained and tortured with knives, and the pain involved.
“So much blood running down me … all he could do was laugh,” it said. The story ended with the person walking up two months later on the side of a road.
Another document marked “private”, created on November 5th, 2009 had an editing time of zero. Det Garda Wallace said she believed this was because it originated in a different location.
It was also in the first person and talked about a man giving a woman a lift home from a party and throwing her in a cellar.
“He whacked me across the face and said I own you now,” the article said. It described the person being thrown into a cellar and whipped “every so often”.
The trial before Mr Justice Tony Hunt continues.
