A Northern Ireland man told gardai that as he shot a Co Sligo community activist he told him he "had a lot of enemies and I was sent to kneecap you", the Special Criminal Court heard yesterday.
The court heard that, in a statement to gardai, Mr Michael Joseph ("Joey") Herron described how he hid at the back of Mr Terry Madden's house and waited for him.
Mr Herron said that when Mr Madden appeared he said: "Terry Madden" and Mr Madden said: "Hello, what do you want?" He then saw the shotgun that Mr Herron was carrying and ran towards his house.
Mr Herron told detectives that he fired a shot at Mr Madden's legs to stop him and Mr Madden fell to the ground. He told him to get down on his belly and Mr Madden asked him: "What is this all about?" Mr Herron said: "You have a lot of enemies and I was sent to kneecap you."
He said he then fired another shot into the back of Mr Madden's knee from about seven feet. He then drove back to Ballyshannon, Co Donegal.
"After shooting Terry Madden I believed there was damage done to his legs, but there was no danger of death," Mr Herron told gardai, the court heard.
He said he was "shocked and saddened" when he heard Mr Madden had died and added: "At no stage did I intend to kill Terry Madden."
The court earlier ruled that verbal and written statements made by Mr Herron while in custody were admissible in evidence and dismissed his claims that he was assaulted by gardai during questioning.
It was the seventh day of the trial of three men who deny the murder of Mr Madden, a 52-year-old father of three and FAS supervisor, at his home at Monasteraden, Co Sligo, on January 28th last year.
The three are Mr Herron (31), of Belleek, Co Fermanagh, with an address at Chapel Street, Ballyshannon, Co Donegal; Mr Michael Doohan (34), a private in the Defence Forces, of Ashbury Lawn, Ballinode, Co Sligo; and Mr Patrick McGrath (57), a father of 12, of Cuilprughlish, Gurteen, Co Sligo.
Mr Herron also denies possession of a shotgun with intent to endanger life on January 28th last year.
Mr Doohan and Mr McGrath deny intentionally causing serious harm to Mr Madden at Monasteraden on the same date and Mr McGrath denies possession of a sawn-off shotgun with intent to enable another person to endanger life.
The court has heard that Mr Madden bled to death after he was shot in the back of both legs outside his home. The second shot to his right leg severed the main artery and vein. The prosecution has claimed that Mr Herron was the gunman.
The trial continues today.