Legal adviser says Holland suing for defamation

The man named in court as having shot Veronica Guerin is suing seven people for defamation, including gardaí and journalists, his legal adviser said today.

Patrick "Dutchy" Holland, who was freed from prison earlier this month, was never charged with the offence.

His legal adviser Giovanni di Stefano claims he is suing Garda Marion Cusack, Garda Commissioner Noel Conroy, Minister for Justice Michael McDowell, retired Detective Inspector Gerry O'Carroll who was writing for the Evening Herald, retired Assistant Commissioner Tony Hickey, Sunday Worldjournalist Paul Williams and Attorney General Rory Brady.

During Mr Holland's trial, Garda Cusack, who arrested him, said she believed that he was the man who shot dead Ms Guerin in Dublin in June 1996.

The 66-year-old was released from Portlaoise Prison on April 8th. He had served nine years of a 12-year sentence for drugs offences. Mr Holland was originally sentenced to 20 years but this was reduced in 1998 to 12 years after he appealed the sentence to the Court of Criminal Appeal. An appeal of his conviction was rejected at that time.

Mr di Stefano told ireland.comtoday that Mr Holland was in Dublin having returned from taking a lie detector test in Italy after his release.

"I think these people are in trouble. You can't call somebody a murderer when they haven't even been charged," Mr di Stefano said.

He added that Jeremy Barrett, managing director of Polygraph Security Services, which carried out the lie detector test, has sworn an affadavit saying the results are correct. Mr Holland is said to have passed the test in which he denied killing or arranging to kill Ms Guerin. He also denied selling or taking illegal drugs.

Mr di Stefano, who claims to have acted as legal adviser to Saddam Hussein in the past, has also written to Taoiseach Bertie Ahern demanding an inquiry into Mr Holland's conviction.

Claiming a "planned" and "premeditated" conspiracy against Mr Holland, the letter reads: "I am asking for that enquiry to be established and announced forthwith in an effort to reconcile the Irish citizens into a restoration of faith into the criminal justice system.

"I am further asking you that you put forward, forthwith the name of Patrick Eugene Holland to the President of Ireland for a total free pardon".

A spokesman for the Taoiseach said: "We can confirm that correspondence has been received and has been passed on to the Minister for Justice".