A 23-year-old Dublin man has been sentenced to five years in prison for assisting an offender and for withholding information about a fatal shooting in a Dublin pub last year.
Both sentences are to run currently and are backdated to June 2004.
Jonathan Mooney (23), Dublin, had pleaded guilty last month at the Central Criminal Court to assisting an offender and withholding information.
Both charges relate to the fatal shooting of 24-year-old Paul Warren, St Teresa's Gardens, Dublin, at Grey's pub, Newmarket Square, Dublin, on February 25th, 2004.
"Mr X masterminded the shooting from Mountjoy Prison," prosecuting counsel Paul Coffey told the court.
"Gardaí investigations established that Mr X made six calls to Mooney," who was in Grey's pub on the night of the shooting, Mr Coffey said.
These calls were between 10.23pm and 11.06pm; five before the murder and one afterwards.
Mooney, who has 28 previous convictions, was sentenced to five years' imprisonment on each count to run concurrently.
Det Insp Gabriel O'Gara told Mr Coffey that on the day of the shooting Mr Warren went for a drink in Grey's pub with friends and played a few games of pool.
At 11pm, two men with guns entered the pub wearing balaclavas. One of the gunmen stood at the door; the other ran towards Mr Warren who fled to a cubicle in the toilets. The gunman followed and fired three shots.
Det Insp O'Gara said Mooney went to Grey's pub with his girlfriend before 8pm on the same evening.
"He remained until the shooting occurred but left before the gardaí arrived," he said.
Mooney, prosecuting counsel said, took a position at the pool table. After the shooting, gardaí established that a series of phone calls were made.
Det Insp O'Gara said Mooney told gardaí that he "knew Mr X as he had spent time with him in jail and he said he knew the shootists [ gunmen] as well".
The court heard that Mooney admitted that he had received calls from Mr X and admitted that the calls were about Mr Warren.
The accused also admitted that the calls were about establishing where Mr Warren was sitting in the pub and what he was wearing.
The accused told gardaí he had no foreknowledge of the consequences of what he had done and he admitted he was "in fear of Mr X".
The court heard that Mooney and his mother were threatened with fatal consequences if he said anything untoward about Mr X and that he was told to get rid of the phone.
Det Insp O'Gara said: "Mr X rang the accused and asked him to point out the deceased to fellas coming into the pub."
Defence counsel Mary Ellen Ring said Mooney "expressed his regret for the shooting of Mr Warren".