The wife of a man jailed for his part in counting drugs money for the John Gilligan criminal organisation has been given a six-month suspended sentence by Judge Elizabeth Dunne for money-laundering.
Deborah Warren (29) pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to handling money from drugs-trafficking at Heatherview Drive, Tallaght, on dates unknown between August 1st and 31st, 1996. She had no previous convictions.
Sgt John Poole said her husband, Russell Warren, was sentenced to five years for his role in the Gilligan organisation. He gave evidence for the State in the trial of Brian Meehan for the murder of the journalist Veronica Guerin.
Sgt Poole told Mr Tom O'Connell SC (prosecuting, with Mr Peter Charleton SC) said that Russell Warren got involved with a Derek Baker, who ran a bookmaking business in a neighbouring house.
He started counting money for the criminal network in his parents' house along with his parents, Yvette and Patrick, his sister, Nicola, and her husband, Brian Cummins. The court has been told previously that they handled over £1.5 million.
Yvette and Patrick Warren (both 69) were jailed for 18 months and Nicola for 12 months in March 1999. Cummins was jailed for eight months after he admitted handing over a sum of £10,000 to another man on behalf of the Gilligan gang.
Sgt Poole told Mr O'Connell that when Deborah Warren questioned her husband about where he was getting his money, he told her it was for tobacco and "not to worry, it's none of your business."
He said Deborah Warren told gardai: "I never had anything to do with the drugs and I am totally against drugs." However, she admitted to gardai she had assisted in counting £5 notes on one occasion in the house. She did not disclose the amount of money, but said it was "a lot".
Sgt Poole said her husband's involvement had restricted her liberty and she has had to remain under armed garda protection for the last 3 1/2 years and wear a flak jacket.
Mr Paul O'Higgins SC, defending, said that apart from her statement to gardai there was not a shred of evidence against his client. She got "dragged in" to count several hundreds of pounds in £5 notes.
Mr O'Higgins said his client was lonely and isolated while under protection and had tried to get back to her job as an office cleaner, but the high level of security made it difficult.
Judge Dunne said she was less involved than her in-laws and would not have become involved if she had not walked into the house of her parents-in-law.
The judge directed that she enter into a bond to be of good behaviour for the next three years.