A protected witness, Russell Warren, told the Special Criminal Court yesterday he stopped his van and got sick at the side of the road shortly after he witnessed the murder of journalist Veronica Guerin.
Warren denied a suggestion by Mr Terence McDonald QC, counsel for murder accused Mr John Gilligan, that his account of witnessing the murder was "a complete fabrication, a total lie and out-and-out lies".
Warren said he rang Mr Gilligan a couple of minutes after witnessing the murder and told him that "somebody's after being shot".
"He said, `Are they dead?' and I said, `I suppose so, they were shot five times.' He said, `Did they get away?' I said, `Yes, they drove off.' He said, `Tell your friend that the same thing will happen to him if anyone says anything about the bike'."
Warren said he then headed for Tallaght and got sick at the side of the M50.
In reply to Mr Justice O'Donovan, presiding, he said his recollection was that he rang Mr Gilligan from Monastery Road, Clondalkin.
Cross-examined by Mr McDonald, he said he drove through Clondalkin after witnessing the murder but could not be sure of the exact position from where he rang Mr Gilligan. He denied a suggestion that he was not on the Naas Road.
He also told Mr McDonald that some time between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. on the day of the murder he rang Brian Meehan to tell him to get rid of the bike, and Meehan said: "It's done."
Earlier, Warren said Mr Gilligan had told him to go to Naas on the day of the murder. However, he admitted under cross-examination that he did not mention this in a statement he made to gardai three months after the murder.
He admitted that a lengthy statement he made to gardai on October 19th, 1996, contained some lies and that the statement did not mention that Mr Gilligan told him to go to Naas.
Warren has previously told the court that he was in constant mobile phone contact with Mr Gilligan after he travelled to Naas and spotted Ms Guerin's red Opel Calibra car at the courthouse there.
Warren has also claimed that he spoke to Mr Gilligan immediately after he witnessed a gunman on a motorbike fire shots into Ms Guerin's car on the Naas dual carriageway.
Yesterday, when Mr McDonald suggested that Mr Gilligan did not tell him to go to Naas, Warren replied: "I know he told me to go to Naas. It was the morning or the evening over the phone. He said, `Do what Brian Meehan wants you to do, go to Naas.' It was the evening before or the morning before the murder. Those were my instructions."
It was the 16th day of the trial of Mr Gilligan (48), who has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Sunday Independent crime reporter Ms Guerin (37) at Naas Road, Clondalkin, Dublin, on June 26th, 1996.
He also denies 15 charges alleging the importation of cannabis and firearms and ammunition offences.
The trial continues today.