A Garda detective told the Special Criminal Court yesterday that one of three men accused of the murder of a Co Sligo community activist, Mr Terry Madden, showed him an illegal rubbish dump where he had disposed of the sawn-off shotgun used in the murder.
Det Garda Hugh Maloney said that after Mr Patrick McGrath pointed out the dump he searched the area and found the shotgun in a black plastic bin-liner.
He said that on March 6th last year, Mr McGrath had travelled with three detectives from Manorhamilton Garda station to a location outside Gurteen, Co Sligo, and had given him directions to the dump. Mr McGrath made a statement in the back of the Garda car just before the shotgun was found and signed it, Det Garda Maloney said.
He said he had driven the accused along with Det Garda Richard Caplice and Det Garda Dick Reidy to the location. He said that during the one-hour journey Mr McGrath was very relaxed and engaged in banter with the three gardai.
He said Mr McGrath had joked with him and asked him: "Do you like rats?", which had no significance to him then but assumed significance later.
Asked by Mr Justice Morris what that significance was, he said it was that the shotgun was found in a rubbish dump and there were rats in the dump.
Cross-examined by Mr McGrath's counsel, Mr John Edwards SC, Det Garda Maloney denied that Mr McGrath was "exhausted, tired, in pain and in a state of distress" at the time. "He was in very good form," he said.
He said Mr McGrath told gardai he had thrown the gun used by Mr Joey Herron to shoot Mr Madden over the ditch and into the dump.
It was the 10th day of the trial of three men who deny murdering Mr Madden (52)AS supervisor, at his home at Monasteraden, Co Sligo, on January 28th last year.
They are Mr Michael Joseph Herron (31), a native of Belleek, Co Fermanagh, with an address at Chapel Street, Ballyshannon, Co Donegal; Private Michael Doohan (34), from Ashbury Lawn, Ballinode, Co Sligo; and Mr Patrick McGrath (57), from Cuilprughlish, Gurteen, Co Sligo.
The trial continues today.