State witness Charles Bowden told the Special Criminal Court yesterday that he knew his life was in danger when he made statements to gardai about the murder of journalist Veronica Guerin.
Bowden (34) said that he was interviewed by Garda detectives at Mountjoy prison in March, 1997, after he returned from England where he had been for six weeks.
Bowden told defence counsel Mr John McCrudden QC that there were a number of inaccuracies in his statements to gardai.
It was the 14th 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, on June 26th, 1996.
Bowden told Mr McCrudden that there were contradictions about different accounts of his movements on the night of the Guerin murder that he gave to gardai in October, 1996, and in March, 1997.
He said that he had told lies to gardai in his October statement and had tried to correct them in later statements. Bowden said he had "dozens" of interviews with the gardai.
"The entire pressure I was under in October was that any admission I made was going to put me in some trouble, either with (Mr A - the drugs gang leader) or Brian Meehan and the gang or the police," he said.
But he denied that he was "tailoring" his evidence to agree with the evidence given earlier by his wife, Mrs Juliet Bowden.
Mr Meehan also denies 16 other charges alleging that he unlawfully imported cannabis resin into the State on various dates between July 1st, 1994, and October 6th, 1996, that he unlawfully possessed cannabis resin for the purpose of sale or supply on the same dates and that on or about October 3rd, 1996, at Unit 1B, Greenmount Industrial Estate, Harold's Cross, Dublin, he had cannabis resin for sale or supply.
He has also denied having a Sten sub-machinegun, silencer barrel, two magazines, a 9 mm Agram machine pistol, five Walther semiautomatic pistols, four magazines and 1,057 rounds of assorted ammunition with intent to endanger life at Oldcourt Road, Tallaght, Dublin, between November 10th, 1995, and October 3rd, 1996.
The trial continues today.