A CLARE woman and a man who is a former Las Vegas poker dealer have gone on trial at the Central Criminal Court for allegedly conspiring to kill the woman’s partner and his two sons.
Sharon Collins (44), of Ballybeg House, Kildysart Road, Ennis, and Essam Eid (52), an Egyptian man with a Nevada address, have pleaded not guilty to conspiring to kill PJ, Robert and Niall Howard between August 1st and September 26th, 2006.
Ms Collins also denied hiring Mr Eid to shoot the three men.
Mr Eid denies demanding €100,000 from Robert Howard to cancel the contracts.
He also denies breaking into the Howard family business at Westgate Business Park, Ennis, and stealing two computers, some computer cables, a digital clock and a poster of old Irish money and then being in possession of stolen items.
Counsel for the prosecution Tom O’Connell SC told the court that PJ Howard was a Clare businessman involved in the property business. His two sons worked with him.
Mr O’Connell said Ms Collins had been in a relationship with PJ Howard, a widower. He said they had been living together since 1998 and Ms Collins also worked in Mr Howard’s property business.
He said the jury would hear that Ms Collins was eager to get married. She arranged to take part in a proxy marriage through the internet and subsequently contacted Mr Eid, who advertised through the website Hitmanforhire.com under the name Tony Luciano. She did not correspond in her own name.
Mr O’Connell said that on September 24th 2006 Mr Eid arrived in Ireland and booked into the Two Mile Inn in Limerick. He then burgled the offices of Mr Howard’s business on September 25th.
He said that on September 26th, Mr Eid approached Robert Howard and demanded money with menaces to cancel the hit on him, his brother and his father.
The trial continues.