A murder victim involved in a drugs gang suggested the means by which he was eventually abducted and killed, a jury heard yesterday.
The revelation came as a brother of the victim was being cross-examined on the fourth day of a trial at the Central Criminal Court. Mr Joseph Delaney (53), of La Rochelle, Naas, Co Kildare, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Mr Mark Dwyer (23) with his son, Mr Scott Delaney, on or about December 14th, 1996. Mr Joseph Delaney has also pleaded not guilty to falsely imprisoning Mr Dwyer.
Mr Dwyer's brother, Mr Christopher Dwyer Jnr (20), said he was at a meeting in La Rochelle, the house then occupied by the accused, two days after a consignment of 40,000 ecstasy tablets Mr Delaney had organised to be imported had been "ripped off" in October 1996.
Mr Joseph Delaney, his son Scott, Mr Mark Dwyer and another drug dealer named in court were there.
At the meeting "it was common knowledge that whoever done the rip or was accused of doing it would be dead", Mr Christopher Dwyer told Mr Blaise O'Carroll SC, defending.
As the five sat in Mr Delaney's kitchen, the accused put a baseball bat on the table and said to Mr Mark Dwyer: "What do you think of that?"
"That's the business," Mr Dwyer had replied. His brother took it to mean that Mr Mark Dwyer approved of the baseball bat being used on whoever was blamed for the theft.
Later, Mr Joseph Delaney was worried about the commotion which would be caused if they went to a house and abducted the person blamed. However, Mr Mark Dwyer had said that they only had to tie the person's arms and legs and put something over his head and "it would all be over in two minutes".
The jury has already heard that Mr Mark Dwyer was abducted by three men wearing balaclavas who tied his arms and legs with electric cable and covered his head with pillowcases early on December 14th, 1996. His body was found in a field in Finglas.
The trial continues on Tuesday.
In previous reports the address for Mr Joseph Delaney was given as Palmerstown Park, Palmers town, Dublin. While that address was on the charge sheet, Mr Delaney does not live there. His address, as given in evidence, is La Rochelle, Naas, Co Kildare.