A Garda detective told the Special Criminal Court yesterday that a protected witness, Russell Warren, was in "extreme fear for his safety" after agreeing to give evidence for the State in the Veronica Guerin murder trials.
Det Garda Bernie Hanley said that Warren had been given full-time security by gardai after the house of another protected witness, Charles Bowden, was burned down in April 1997. He was giving evidence at Mr John Gilligan's murder trial.
The witness said that Warren had been taken into custody when he was charged with various offences in August 1997.
Asked by Mr Justice O'Donovan if he was worried that the fear would drive Warren to leave the country, Det Garda Hanley said: "Overall, it was my firm belief that he would give evidence in court."
He denied suggestions by Mr Terence McDonald QC, defending, that money he returned to both Bowden and Warren was payment for their agreement to give statements to the Garda.
Det Garda Hanley said that the money belonged to the men, and he had returned it as requested by the incident room at Lucan Garda station. "They were facing serious charges. If they were willing to give information about other members of the gang, I was willing to take it", he said.
Det Garda Hanley said that when he had returned with Bowden from London in March 1997, Bowden had said he would give evidence against other people and did not want anything in return. "He has not wavered from that since."
Cross-examined by Mr Peter Charleton SC, prosecuting, Det Garda Hanley said he recognised the accused man, Mr Gilligan, and Russell Warren on a security video taken by a bank in Lucan two days before the Guerin murder.
Earlier Det Garda Hanley said that he had met Warren, who is serving a jail sentence for stealing a motorcycle and handling the proceeds of crime, several times after Warren initially made a statement to gardai.
He told Mr McDonald that he gave Warren £1,920 before Christmas 1996 and another £1,000 in April 1997. This was Warren's own money, from his industrial cleaning business, and he was returning it to him after it had been seized by gardai. He denied that the money was paid in return for information, or for Warren making statements to gardai. "There was no question of payment for information."
Det Garda Hanley also denied that he saw himself as "handling an informant". He said that if he had wanted to pay Warren for information, Garda procedures existed which he could have followed.
It was the 32nd day of the trial of Mr Gilligan (48), who has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Sunday Independent crime reporter Veronica Guerin (37) on June 26th, 1996. Mr Gilligan also denies 15 other counts alleging the importation of cannabis and firearms and ammunition offences.
The trial continues today.