A 26-year-old Dublin man went on trial yesterday for the attempted murder of another man in Ballymun in 1999.
When he was arraigned in the Central Criminal Court, Mr Jason Blake, of Mellows Crescent Finglas pleaded not guilty to the attempted murder of Mr Patrick Maughan (40), of The Campsite, St Margaret's, Dublin, on February 21st, 1999, at Balcurris Road, Ballymun.
Mr Blake also denied six other charges, including causing serious harm to Mr Maughan, the possession of a shotgun and ammunition with intent to endanger life, and the unlawful use of a car without the owner's permission.
In his opening speech, Mr Denis Vaughan Buckley SC told the court Mr Maughan was shot shortly after he left the Penthouse Pub in Ballymun at around 11.35 p.m. on the night of the shooting. He was confronted by a man with a shotgun who shot him once in the stomach. The man then jumped into a car and drove off.
Mr Edward Brennan, who was working as a doorman at the Penthouse on the night of the shooting, told the court that Mr Maughan was one of a number of Travellers who regularly drank in the pub and he was "very drunk" when he left that Sunday night.
Mr Brennan said Mr Maughan had just left the pub when he heard a loud bang. When he went out, he saw Mr Maughan lying on the ground holding his stomach and a masked man standing over him. "I just let a roar and the man jumped into a car," he said.
Another witness, Ms Rosanna Weldon, had left the pub at about 11.33 p.m. "I just saw a man with a gun and a man lying on the ground," she said.
She then saw a man getting into a car and driving off towards Balcurris Road. When questioned by Mr Barry White SC, for the defence, Ms Weldon was not sure if the man was wearing a mask. "Not that I know of," she said.
The trial before Mr Justice Patrick Smith continues today.