The owner of a stolen €80,000 in-foal mare, which was found in a Co Meath field, has told a court he handed €6,000 to a man who claimed he could help him recover it from "the scumbags that took it".
Anthony Lea (32), Fortlawn Avenue, Blanchardstown, has pleaded not guilty to alternative counts of handling or possessing the stolen mare on January 10th, 2005.
David Kelly described at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court how two days after he had posted notices about the missing animal, he was contacted by Mr Lea, who said he could help him get it back.
"He said he knew the people who had taken her and they weren't very nice people," Mr Kelly told prosecuting counsel, Dominic McGinn. "He said he didn't want any harm done to her and he would help me get her back, but he said that these people would want money for her."
Mr Kelly said he refused to pay the €10,000 that Mr Lea first said the thieves wanted for the mare, which was taken from a field at Barberstown Stud, in Clonsilla, Co Dublin, but after some negotiations he agreed to pay €6,000.
"He told me they were 'little scumbags' and if I didn't give them the money they could do some damage to her," Mr Kelly said.
A few days later he met him in a car park in Clonee, after Mr Lea had shown him a video of the missing mare the previous day to prove she was "alive and well". He said he gave Mr Lea €3,000 and promised to give him the other €3,000 when he had picked up the mare.
Mr Lea made a phone call and a few minutes later a motorcyclist pulled up and collected the €3,000 before Mr Lea got in Mr Kelly's car and directed him to where the mare was in a field in Ballivor.
Mr Kelly then gave him the second €3,000 and when they returned to the spot where they had earlier met, a "swarm of gardaí" surrounded Mr Lea.
Mr Kelly said that when the mare first went missing from her grazing field adjacent to Barberstown Stud on December 20th, 2004, he contacted gardaí.
He called them again when Mr Lea phoned him for the first time and he later made them aware of his arrangements to meet the accused to collect the horse.
The trial continues before Judge Frank O'Donnell and a jury.