Counsel ruffles feathers over freezing dead duck before it could quack

Mr James Gogarty accused Mr Michael Bailey, Mr Ray Burke, Mr George Redmond, the Murphys and "the whole bloody lot of them" of…

Mr James Gogarty accused Mr Michael Bailey, Mr Ray Burke, Mr George Redmond, the Murphys and "the whole bloody lot of them" of being corrupt.

Mr Colm Allen SC, for Baileys and Bovale, had been asking yesterday about Mr Bailey's offer to buy the Murphy lands in 1989.

He asked Mr Gogarty "if your allegations in relation to Mr Ray Burke were true, why would Mr Bailey offer to buy the Murphy lands outright only a week after the alleged bribe?"

Mr Gogarty said that was for him to explain. Mr Allen said it did not make sense.

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"A lot of this doesn't make sense, but coming from you it doesn't make any sense at all to me. I'd say he [Bailey] was delighted now he was a free agent to clean up and take the Murphys for a ride."

Mr Allen asked if he was making an allegation that any of these lands were corruptly or improperly rezoned and if he was against whom he was making the allegations.

Mr Gogarty said he could take it any way he liked. "Read the letter of June 8th, 1989."

Mr Allen asked again.

"Yes, they were corrupt. That's my belief in it," Mr Gogarty replied.

Mr Allen asked against whom the allegation was made. Mr Gogarty said it was anybody he liked to talk about over there.

Mr Allen: "Mr Gogarty, name the people against whom you are making these allegations."

"I am making them against Mr Bailey, against Mr Burke, against Mr Redmond, against the Murphys, the whole bloody lot of them," said Mr Gogarty.

Mr Allen: "And anyone else you like, I take it?"

Mr Gogarty: "I don't know. I don't know where you come into it but anyway . . . "

The chairman said the exchanging of insults must stop.

Mr Allen said that at no point yesterday did he address any remark to the witness which could in any way be interpreted as anything other than courteous.

Mr Gogarty said that if Mr Allen was less insulting, he would be less insulting to him.

The chairman: "Stop, Mr Gogarty, stop."

Mr Allen suggested that the participation proposals from which Mr Gogarty said the Murphys and Baileys were going to turn green fields into a field of gold by corrupting Mr Burke were never a runner. "You admitted yesterday it was a dead duck and it gives the lie to the allegation which you have made that Mr Burke was corruptly bribed by you."

Mr Gogarty: "Where did I admit it was a dead duck? That will come out too as well, with feathers and all. Let me tell you that about your duck and it'll quack, so it will."

The chairman intervened: "Enough, Mr Gogarty, enough."

Mr Gogarty said the 100 acres represented £20 million in a couple of years.

The chairman: "Mr Allen, do you think we could freeze this dead duck please? Today?"

Mr Allen: "I suppose, chairman, that we should pause for applause."

The chairman: "That is extremely rude."