Man charged with murder told gardaí he snapped

A man (29) charged with the murder of a father of five told gardaí that he snapped after the victim had repeatedly threatened him and his family over a two-year period.

Michael Collins told gardaí that Pakie Hogan (42) had supplied drugs to his younger brother and pressurised him for money so much that his brother took his own life. Mr Collins denies the murder of Mr Hogan, who was fatally wounded in a shooting at Glen Road, Ballinraha, Blarney, Co Cork, on February 10th, 2011.

Yesterday at the Central Criminal Court in Cork, the jury heard interview memos of what Mr Collins said to gardaí during questioning. He told gardaí how he got his brother to drive him past Mr Hogan’s yard and then to park on the road blocking Mr Hogan in his van while he hid in the ditch.

He told gardaí he had taken a rifle and ammunition from Mr Hogan some six months earlier and cleaned it up and he had brought that with him and put on a balaclava and hoodie.

As he was getting out from behind the ditch, the rifle discharged and he reloaded but as he was standing beside Mr Hogan’s van it went off accidentally again and Mr Hogan was shot.

“I had no intention of shooting anyone . . . ,” he told gardaí.

The case continues.