The wife of a former member of the drugs gang behind the murder of journalist Veronica Guerin told the Special Criminal Court yesterday she had lied to protect her husband.
Ms Juliet Bowden (29), who is married to Charles Bowden, currently in the Witness Protection Programme and serving a six-year sentence for drugs and firearms offences, said: "I never wanted to believe that he had anything to do with it." She told defence counsel Mr John McCrudden QC that she had lied to protect Bowden. But she denied that she was going along with her husband's "script" about his involvement.
It was the ninth day of the trial of Mr Brian Meehan (34), of no fixed abode, and formerly of Clifton Court, Dublin, and Stanaway Road, Crumlin, Dublin, who has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Ms Guerin (36) at Naas Road, Clondalkin, Dublin, on June 26th, 1996. Meehan also denies 16 other charges: that he imported cannabis resin; that he possessed cannabis resin for the purpose of sale; and that he had cannabis resin for sale or supply at Greenmount Industrial Estate, Harolds Cross, Dublin.
He has also pleaded not guilty to having a Sten submachine-gun, a 9mm Agram machine pistol, five Walther pistols, and 1,057 rounds of ammunition at Oldcourt Road, Tallaght, Dublin, between November 10th, 1995 and October 3rd, 1996.
Ms Bowden told Mr McCrudden she had an hour-long meeting with her husband in jail on Thursday night but had not discussed her evidence with him. She denied that her hairdresser's shop, Clips, on Moore Street, Dublin, had been used by Charles Bowden to launder money from his drug dealing activities.
She said Bowden had used the shop as a front to pretend he worked there.
Ms Bowden said she did not have any means to "blank out" the Guerin murder and added: "I live with it. I live with two detectives. I am on constant 24 hours protection. I can't forget it."
She then admitted she was receiving counselling and said she attended a psychiatrist since her arrest in connection with the murder.
She said she had heard from Julian Clohessy, who has already given evidence for the State in the trial, two years ago that Veronica Guerin's last words were "don't shoot me in the face" or "not in the face" but added that she did not believe this. Ms Bowden repeated that her husband had told her two or three weeks before the murder that Veronica Guerin was going to be "threatened" and that the Provos would probably be involved.
She agreed with Mr McCrudden that "a shudder of recognition and sickness" went through her body when she heard that Veronica Guerin had been shot dead. Ms Bowden said she went through "an array" of emotions when she heard about the murder. "My first emotion was to find out exactly what my husband's involvement was in it, especially after the conversation we had." When asked if she could have told the gardai that there was a threat to Ms Guerin's life, Ms Bowden replied: "I could have warned her. I don't know if I could have prevented it."
The trial resumes next Tuesday.