The widow of Kieran Keane, the Limerick man shot dead last January, has said she saw one of the accused men outside her home a few hours before her late husband went missing.
In the Central Criminal Court yesterday Ms Sophie Keane identified Mr Desmond Dundon as the man who was waiting outside the grocery shop attached to her home, Garryowen House. She told the jury that she and Mr Keane had just returned home at 3.45 p.m. after collecting their two sons from school.
Questioned by Mr John O'Sullivan, prosecuting, Ms Keane said:
"Kieran walked up to Dessie Dundon and Dessie Dundon walked towards Kieran. Myself and the children went inside the house. They spoke for a minute, at most two minutes, and Kieran came back inside the house. She said he ate his dinner, stayed a few minutes and then left in his 02 registered Passat car.
"Did you see him again after that time?" Mr O'Sullivan asked.
"No," the witness replied.
She told the court she phoned her husband later and he called her back at around 7 p.m. From 8 p.m. until 9.15 p.m. she attempted to call him 10 to 15 times, and sent him text messages, but his phone was turned off.
During that time she drove to the home of Owen Treacy and spoke to his wife, Donna, and then began telephoning the Garda station in Limerick city. She and Ms Treacy went looking for Mr Keane and Mr Treacy.
She told the jury that later she went out looking for her husband with Mr Keane's brother, Anthony. Asked where they looked, she replied: "Up by the Fair Green."
Ms Keane told the jury she later identified her husband's body in the morgue at Limerick Regional Hospital.
Cross-examined by Mr Michael Moloney, for Mr Dundon, counsel put it to her that his client was not present outside her home on the day of the killing.
"I know Desmond Dundon and Desmond Dundon was there at that time," she replied.
Mr Moloney then put it to the witness that Mr Dundon did not speak to Kieran Keane.
She said she saw him, her son saw him and her husband's nephew saw him. "I saw Dessie Dundon as clear as I can see him today in court.
"Desmond Dundon was outside my house that day," she said. "He was eating a burger."
The five accused have pleaded not guilty to the murder of Mr Kieran Keane (36), of Garryowen, Limerick, on January 29th last and to falsely imprisoning him. They also deny the attempted murder of Mr Owen Treacy (31), of St Mary's Park, Limerick, on the same date.They are: Mr David Stanners (31); Mr Desmond Dundon (20); Mr Anthony McCarthy (21); Mr Christopher Costelloe (20); and Mr James McCarthy (24).