A Co Wicklow publican was murdered in a killing arranged by his wife, it was claimed yesterday when the prosecution reopened its case before a new jury in the Central Criminal Court.
When she was rearraigned, Mrs Catherine Nevin (48) pleaded not guilty to the murder of Thomas Nevin (54) on March 19th, 1996, in their home at Jack White's Inn, Ballinapark, Co Wicklow.
Mr Peter Charleton SC said that the prosecution had evidence that Mrs Nevin had attempted to solicit three men to kill her husband. The suggestion was that the killing should be made to look like a robbery, that it should take place on a bank holiday weekend and that the pub takings for that weekend should be "apparently robbed".
Counsel said that the prosecution case was based on circumstantial evidence, but if the jury looked at the evidence in its totality they would find that it was consistent with guilt.
The court was told that Tom Nevin was last seen by someone other than his wife at 12.10 a.m., when he dropped two customers home from the pub. When he returned, staff members had left for a disco and the premises was empty, save for his wife.
At 4.27 a.m. a garda was alerted by an alarm company that a panic button had been pressed at the pub, counsel said. Two gardai drove to the premises and found Mrs Nevin bound and gagged inside the front door of the dwelling house. She told them that a man had tied her up.
Tom Nevin was found lying on his back on the kitchen floor, a pen in one hand and his glasses still on his nose. There was no sign of a struggle, counsel said. Mr Nevin's heart had "simply been shut down" by a single shotgun discharge.