A solicitor who had recently legally represented the Latvian woman shot dead in Swords, Co Dublin, on Sunday night, has been under armed Garda protection for a number of weeks after he was threatened by the people suspected of her murder, it has emerged.
The victim, mother of two Baibia Saulite (28), had been threatened in the run-up to her death and had been in constant contact with gardaí, as revealed in The Irish Times yesterday. She was embroiled in a bitter personal dispute.
The Law Society last night confirmed a member has been subjected to death threats as part of the row involving Ms Saulite. It said threats had been received by the solicitor long before Sunday's murder. While they had been treated seriously by the Garda, they must be treated even more seriously now, it said.
The society's director general, Ken Murphy, said his organisation had raised the security threat against its member with the Garda Commissioner Noel Conroy. It was satisfied with the Garda response.
"A threat to a solicitor, simply for doing his job expertly and fearlessly on behalf of his client, is a direct attack on the administration of justice and on the rule of law generally," said Mr Murphy.
The president of the society, Philip Joyce, on Monday contacted the solicitor and "assured him of the profession's full support for him at this very worrying time". Mr Murphy added the Dublin-based solicitor would meet gardaí at the highest level to outline his specific concerns. He urged the media not to contact the solicitor and to be responsible in reporting the matter.
Gardaí in Swords, Co Dublin, were last night continuing their investigation into the murder of Ms Saulite.
Members of the dead woman's family arrived in Dublin yesterday. Ms Saulite was smoking a cigarette in the hallway of her house at Holywell Square, Feltrim Road, Swords, Co Dublin, with two friends when her killer struck just before 10pm on Sunday. A lone gunman walked up to the doorway of the rented townhouse, singled out his victim and fired a number of rounds into her upper body. She fell back into the hall and died instantly.
The dead woman's two sons - Rami aged three and Ali aged five - where asleep upstairs in the house at the time of the killing.
The gunman then walked back to a waiting car and was driven away by an accomplice at speed. The killer was not masked but was wearing heavy clothing and possibly a hat. He used a handgun and fired at least two shots.
A dark-coloured BMW 2006 model 520 was found burned out in the Birchdale estate near Swords shortly after the killing. Garda sources said they believed this was the getaway car.
Ms Saulite was separated from the father of her two sons, Lebanese national Hassan Hassan (35).
He is in Mountjoy Prison where he is serving four years for his role in a Middle Eastern organised crime gang sourcing stolen cars and exporting them whole or for spare parts to eastern Europe.
Gardaí have visited him in prison to both inform him of his wife's death and to ask him if he knew of any reason why somebody would want to murder her.
Detectives investigating the case believe whoever wanted the young mother dead probably hired a killer to carry out the gun attack. Gardaí have identified at least one person they believe may have had the motive and means.
They believe it could have been committed by a foreign national or members of an Irish crime gang whom the suspected organiser of the killing has become close to in recent times.
Anybody with information on the murder is asked to contact Swords gardaí on 01-6664700.