Murder accused Mr John Gilligan admitted to the Sunday Independent's former crime correspondent Liz Allen that he threatened to kidnap Veronica Guerin's son and sexually abuse him, the Special Criminal Court was told yesterday.
Ms Allen said her notes of the conversation were thrown out by the Sunday Independent when she left the newspaper. She said she believed that the management in the Sunday In- dependent told gardai that the notes were no longer available.
Ms Allen added that Mr Gilligan had sent her a note from prison saying "love ya". Ms Allen told prosecution counsel Mr Peter Charleton SC that she met Mr Gilligan in Amsterdam in the aftermath of Veronica Guerin's death, while she was crime correspondent for the Sunday Tribune.
He met her in Amsterdam airport and gave her a bouquet of flowers. He was very pleasant to her and took her and a photographer to his hotel room.
He admitted to her that he had threatened to kidnap Ms Guerin's son and sexually assault him. Ms Allen said Mr Gilligan wanted to make it clear to her that he was not "queer" and was angry with Ms Guerin because she was pestering him for an interview.
She showed the court a note which she said was posted to her at the Sunday Independent. There was a handwritten note on the corner which said "Love ya, John".
She said she believed that this had been sent by Mr Gilligan from Belmarsh prison in England, but she couldn't recall when she received the note. Asked about her conversation with Mr Gilligan in Amsterdam, she said that she had a half glass of wine in Mr Gilligan's hotel room because she wanted him to feel at ease. Ms Allen said that she published all "on the record" statements made by Mr Gilligan in the Sunday Tribune that week. He rang her after the article was published and thanked her for "giving him a hearing".
She agreed that Mr Gilligan denied involvement in the murder of Ms Guerin in the conversations she had with him. The trial continues next Tuesday.