MR Kevin Gillane, the brother in law of murder victim, Mrs Philomena Gillane, was acquitted last night of a charge of unlawfully wounding her brother with a slash hook in a confrontation with members of her family last year.
A jury in Galway Circuit Criminal Court took two and a half hours to reach a verdict on whether the use of force by Mr Gillane was justifiable in the context of self defence.
Mr Gillane (38) of Glenbrack, Gort, Co Galway, had pleaded not guilty to unlawfully wounding, causing grievous bodily harm to Mr Martin Gordon at, Glenbrack on June 14th, 1995.
He was also acquitted of assaulting and harming Mr Patrick Gordon, another brother of Mrs Gillane. He was found guilty of a minor charge of common assault of Mr Martin Gordon.
Judged Harvey Kenny adjourned sentencing until October and warned both families to stay away from each other - both had experienced a great tragedy following Mrs Gillane's murder.
Mr Gillane apologised for wounding Mr Martin Gordon with a slash hook but denied attempting to kill him. He stated he had no choice as he thought he and his brother were going to be killed when the Gordons arrived.
Immediately after Mrs Gillane's death, he said, relations between the Gordons and Gillanes "were mighty", but rumours had spread, and his brother was wrongly accused of causing her death. "We had no hand, act or part in Phil's death."
He told Mr Peter Charleton SC, defending, that the Gordons had taken a baseball bat and pickaxe handle off him on entering the farmyard. Paddy Gordon had beaten him but he managed to take a slash hook from the top of a tank and usher him off the property. He saw Mr Martin Gordon attacking his brother on the tractor and he thought he was going to be killed. He said he only intended to put fear into Mr Gordon. He could have killed them if he had wanted to.
He admitted he had lied in a statement to the gardai but he was confused then. He was on drugs relating to his psychiatric illness.
When Mr Pat Gillane took the stand, Mr Charleton said he not want to ask him about his wife's death but asked about charges he was facing. He replied that he was charged with soliciting two men to, murder her but that in his view it was a trumped up charge and he was totally innocent.
The Gordons charged at his brother on coming into the farmyard. As Mr Paddy Gordon was, beating his brother, Mr Martin Gordon had assaulted him with the bat and said "You killed my sister, you bastard". He protected, himself with the tractor door and steel capped boots. He admitted there were discrepancies with his original statement but denied he was protecting his brother.
The Gillanes' sister, Mrs Martina Riordan (35), told the court she was under so much stress from the Gordons calling to her house demanding to see the baby son of Pat and Philomena Gillane, whom she was minding, that she had to have him taken into care. Once she told a friend to bring the baby to the attic because she feared there was going to be trouble.