A defence lawyer for Mr Paul Ward, the man accused of murdering journalist Veronica Guerin, claimed yesterday that Ward's girlfriend, Ms Vanessa Meehan, was brought to meet him at Lucan Garda station to pressurise him into telling gardai where the murder weapon was.
Mr Barry White SC suggested at the Special Criminal Court that Ms Meehan was "asked to perform a certain task" in relation to Ward. But Insp Padraig Kennedy denied the suggestion and said that Ms Meehan, who was in Garda custody, requested to visit Mr Ward, who was being held in Lucan Garda station.
Mr Paul "Hippo" Ward (34), a native of Crumlin, Dublin, with an address at Walkinstown Road, Dublin, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Veronica Guerin, a 36-year-old mother of one, at Naas Road, Clondalkin, Co Dublin on June 26th, 1996. The prosecution has claimed that Mr Ward was a member of the gang that planned and carried out the killing and that he disposed of the murder weapon and the motorcycle afterwards.
Insp Kennedy said he interviewed Ms Meehan at Ballyfermot Garda station on the evening of October 17th, 1996. "She was not being co-operative. She would interrupt my questions. It was a constant answer she gave us - `I don't know,' " he said. Insp Kennedy said he did not believe that a statement made by Ms Meehan earlier that day was true. He said that during the interview at about 7.30 p.m. Ms Meehan asked "could she meet her husband".
Insp Kennedy agreed with Mr White that he had not recorded the request in note form at the time.
The inspector said he agreed to her request because he did not want to breach regulations concerning the treatment of persons in custody. Witness denied a suggestion by Mr White that this was "utter nonsense".
Asked by Mr Justice Barr, presiding, if he had ever previously experienced a situation where one person in custody was taken to visit another person in custody, Insp Kennedy replied: "No."
"I felt that the request to see Paul Ward was reasonable," he added.
Insp Kennedy said that after Ms Meehan had visited Mr Ward at Lucan Garda station he saw her in a cell at Lucan at 11 p.m. on October 17th, 1996. "I considered it would be the humane thing to leave her in Lucan Garda station for the night. It was warm in the cell."
Insp Kennedy denied a suggestion by Mr White that Ms Meehan had never requested to see Mr Ward and had been told by gardai that she would be taken to Lucan to see him. He also denied that she had been taken to Lucan and delivered to a detective who wanted her to "perform a certain task in relation to Paul Ward".
Det Garda Mary Murphy told the court that when the accused's mother, Mrs Elizabeth Ward, was in custody at Cabra Garda station she asked to see her son Paul, who was in custody at Lucan. Witness denied a suggestion by Mr White that the visit by Mrs Ward to her son on October 18th, 1996 was part of a "grand plan" by the i Garda because time was running out and they wanted certain matters put to Mr Ward. The trial continues on Monday.