John Gilligan was the drugs gang leader who played "a leading part in a prearranged plan" to shoot journalist Veronica Guerin, a prosecution lawyer told the Special Criminal Court yesterday. Mr Eamonn Leahy SC said it was not the prosecution contention that Mr Gilligan was present at the Naas Road and Boot Road junction in Dublin on June 26th, 1996, when Ms Guerin was shot dead. But he played a leading part in the plan to shoot Ms Guerin and was therefore complicit in the murder and guilty in law.
Mr Leahy was making the closing submission for the prosecution on the 39th day of the trial. Mr Gilligan (48), with addresses in Blanchardstown, Dublin; Jessbrook Equestrian Centre, Co Kildare; and HM Prison Belmarsh, London, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Sunday Independent crime reporter Ms Guerin (37).
Mr Gilligan also denies 15 other counts alleging the importation of cannabis and firearms and ammunition offences.
Mr Leahy said the court had heard evidence of the "immediate and devastating impact" of the six bullets that hit Ms Guerin. Fundamental to the prosecution case was the existence of an organised criminal gang operating from premises at the Greenmount industrial estate in Harold's Cross, Dublin. Mr Gilligan was the leader and the gang included Brian Meehan, Paul Ward, Charles Bowden and two other men who cannot be named by order of the court.
Counsel said Russell Warren's evidence connected Mr Gilligan to enormous amounts of money coming from the cannabis gang.
Mr Leahy said Ms Guerin's killing "had the hallmarks of being well planned. The gunman and the driver would have been well focused on their task. The motorcycle and the .357 Magnum were the essential tools of Ms Guerin's destruction. So too were mobile phones." There were 23 calls between mobile phones used by Messrs Warren, Meehan and Gilligan prior to 1 p.m. on the day of Ms Guerin's death.
He said it was the prosecution submission that the accused man was involved in a plan to kill Ms Guerin and was guilty of murder. "The arrangements for the killing of Ms Guerin were elaborate arrangements involving a number of people." Mr Leahy said the evidence of John Dunne was the evidence of an accomplice in relation to the drugs charges, the evidence of Charles Bowden was the evidence of an accomplice in relation to the drugs, firearms and murder charges and the evidence of Russell Warren was the evidence of an accomplice in so far as the movement of money was concerned.
Mr Leahy said the 23 telephone calls between Messrs Warren, Meehan and Gilligan on the day of the murder constituted "independent, reliable evidence that affords corroboration in relation to the account given by Russell Warren".
The closing defence submissions in the trial begin today.