Protected witness Charles Bowden told the Special Criminal Court today that he had been asked to go to England to give evidence against John Gilligan, the man accused of murdering journalist Veronica Guerin.
Bowden told Gilligan's counsel Mr Michael O' Higgins SC that he was asked to give evidence in England after he had signed a form saying that he was prepared to go.
He said he could not remember exactly when he was asked to go but he agreed with Mr O' Higgins that it was probably around the summer of 1997.
Bowden said that he believed he would be giving evidence at a trial and he thought he was asked to go to England by Detective Inspector John O' Mahony.
Asked by Mr Justice Diarmuid O' Donovan if he knew what he would be giving evidence about, Bowden replied: ''I presume about drugs and guns, the same as my evidence here.''
Bowden denied suggestions by Mr O' Higgins that he had never met Gilligan outside the Ambassador Hotel, the Gresham Hotel and at the, Thomas Gilligan's (the accused’s brother) house. He also denied that the alleged phone conversations between himself and the accused had never taken place.
Bowden also said that there had been a row between protected witness Russell Warren and his wife Debbie in Arbour Hill prison before Christmas. He said he did not see the row but heard a commotion. ''I just heard screaming and roaring.''
Bowden said he took the Warren's little girl into his own visiting box because she was crying. He said a prison officer had tried to calm down Debbie Warren and that she and her husband had been ''screaming at each other.''
He agreed that he was aware that Gilligan was involved in illicit tobacco trade and that this generated enormous amounts of cash.
He also agreed that he had tried to minimise his involvement in wrongdoing when he was arrested in October 1996. But he denied that he was still doing this. He also denied that his lack of alibi for the morning of the murder was evidence of his continuing efforts to minmise his role.
He also denied that his role on that day was ''deeper'' than he had ever admitted.
It was the twenty third day of the trial of John Gilligan (48), with addresses at Corduff Avenue, Blanchardstown, Dublin; Jessbrook Equestrian Centre, Mucklon, Enfield, Co Kildare; and HM Prison Belmarsh, London, who has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Sunday Independent crime reporter Veronica Guerin(37) at Naas Road, Clondalkin, Dublin on June 26th, 1996.