Wayne Dundon goes on trial for Limerick murder of Roy Collins

Two Limerick men have gone on trial at the Special Criminal Court charged with murdering businessman Roy Collins in the city five years ago.

Wayne Dundon (35), of Lenihan Avenue, Prospect, and Nathan Killeen (23) of Hyde Road, Prospect, are charged with murdering the 35-year-old at Coin Castle Amusements, Roxboro Road Shopping Centre on April 9th, 2009.

They were arraigned before the non-jury court today and pleaded not guilty.

The three judges heard that Mr Collins was at work around noon that day when a single gunman entered his amusement arcade and discharged a single shot, hitting him in the chest. He was conscious for a time, but his life could not be saved.

Prosecutor Michael O’Higgins SC said in his opening speech that Wayne Dundon had directed the murder from prison, Nathan Killeen was the getaway driver and another man, James Dillon, was the gunman.

He said there was evidence that, shortly beforehand, Nathan Killeen was in Roxboro Road Shopping Centre, where the deceased owned his arcade and his father, Stephen Collins, owned a pub. He said the court would hear evidence that in the aftermath of the killing, detectives spotted two youths who they believed were the accused men nearby. When the detectives called them, they took flight and one climbed over a wall. A house was then surrounded and Nathan Killeen was found in an attic and arrested.

However, Mr O’Higgins said that the “meat of the case” was to be found in the evidence of five witnesses who were associates of the accused men. These were siblings Gareth Collins aka Keogh, Lisa Collins and April Collins, along with Christopher McCarthy and Anthony McCarthy, who were cousins of the Dundons.

Mr O’Higgins outlined how the five witnesses were connected to the accused and said that some of the associations could be described as criminal. He said that Gareth Collins Keogh would give evidence that in March 2009, Nathan Killeen offered him money to drive a car.

Keogh would say that he turned down the offer when Killeen mentioned “the pub up the road”. Keogh would say that Killeen then put him on the phone to Wayne Dundon, who offered him €20,000 and drugs to drive the car. Keogh again refused. The witness would say that Killeen explained that they were planning to “whack” Stephen Collins, that the firearm was already in position and that they were waiting for a car.

Keogh would testify that Killeen later told him that a black, top-of-the-range Mercedes had been prepared. He would testify that, on the morning of the murder, Killeen and James Dillon arrived at his door and that it was indicated that the murder was about to happen. However, he again said no and Killeen roared that everything was sorted.

Keogh would say that Killeen complained on the phone to Wayne Dundon that Keogh would not do it and passed the phone to him, with Dundon telling him that it was a simple, two-minute job.

Mr O’Higgins said that various threats were made, but that Keogh stood his ground. Keogh would say that the two men returned later and that Killeen asked him to make a petrol bomb, but Keogh declined. The witness would say that Killeen then made it himself and handed it to James Dillon.

The witness would say that he later saw black smoke and contended it was the Mercedes being burnt out. He later saw detectives pursuing Killeen and Dillon and that Killeen hopped a wall. He then saw them being led away in handcuffs.

Mr O’Higgins next outlined the evidence of Anthony “Noddy” McCarthy, who was in custody in Wheatfield prison at the time of the murder. McCarthy is currently serving a life sentence for murdering Kieran Keane, he added. Wayne Dundon was also in custody in the prison at the time and McCarthy would say that he could hear him shouting across the hall.

He saw Dundon on the phone and described him as hyper, saying: “You better do it for us. You never do nothing for our family. You and your mother will be sorry.”

McCarthy would say he asked what it was about and that Dundon replied that he was speaking to their cousin, James Dillon, and that he wanted him to “do Collins”. He would say that Dundon added: “That f***ing muppet, Gareth Collins, wouldn’t drive the car either.”

Mr O’Higgins said that if the court accepted the evidence of the witnesses, it would be satisfied that Wayne Dundon was part of a joint enterprise, was the organiser, designer and a legal participant. He said that, along with witness evidence, there was also strong circumstantial evidence in respect of Nathan Killeen. “The seminal issue is whether the accused are involved,” he concluded.

Ms Justice Iseult O’Malley, presiding, adjourned proceedings until Tuesday, when Gareth Collins Keogh is due to give evidence.

The four-week trial before Ms Justice O’Malley, Judge Margaret Heneghan and Judge Ann Ryan is the first to be heard by three female judges.