A self-confessed drug dealer, Christopher Curry, told the Central Criminal Court yesterday that a murder defendant, Mr Joseph Delaney, said he "didn't care" if he "had to nut" those responsible for stealing 40,000 ecstasy tablets.
Mr Delaney (53), formerly of La Rochelle, Naas, Co Kildare, has pleaded not guilty to the charge that he, with his son Scott Delaney, then 22 years old, murdered Mark Dwyer (23) on or about December 14th, 1996, within the State.
Mr Delaney has also denied that on December 14th, 1996, at Foster Terrace, Ballybough, Dublin, he falsely imprisoned Mark Dwyer against his will.
Giving evidence yesterday, Curry (30) admitted assisting Mr Joseph Delaney with the distribution of cocaine and ecstasy and collecting money for him. He said at a meeting called by Mr Delaney shortly before Mr Dwyer's murder, suggestions had been made that Mr Delaney "might have to get himself tooled up" or those who had stolen the drugs would come after him "like a wounded animal and finish him".
Mr Delaney had arranged a delivery of 40,000 ecstasy tablets from Amsterdam, but when they were stolen en route, Curry said, Mr Delaney was "freaked". He said Mr Delaney had been "taken to the cleaners" and those responsible might want to "tidy up a loose end and kill Joe".
Curry said Mr Delaney was in contact with him every day after the theft with different theories about who took the drugs. After one suspect had "exonerated" himself, Curry said, Mr Delaney was "turning on his own", suspecting his son and his friend, Mark Dwyer, both of whom were "in the business". Curry said Mr Delaney had been taking up to two grams of cocaine per day at that time.
Mr Delaney allegedly brought a man, known as "Hijack", from Amsterdam to question Mark Dwyer and Scott Delaney about the theft, who told Mr Delaney that his son and Mark Dwyer were guilty. Curry told the court Mr Delaney was "looking in the wrong direction" with Scott, who was worried his father would "take him out".
A week before Dwyer's murder, Mr Delaney allegedly shouted at his son, Scott: "If I see you in the street I'll mow you down".
Believing he was being stalked by the thief who wanted to kill him, Curry said, Mr Delaney thought Dwyer was going to kill him before he could "get Mark". Cross-examination of Scott Delaney, son of the defendant and himself convicted of the killing, continued yesterday.
Scott Delaney is serving a life sentence for the murder. He was also sentenced to 10 years for falsely imprisoning Mr Dwyer. He is appealing the convictions.
Mr Blaise O'Carroll SC, defending, asked Scott Delaney if it was not true that at the time he was talking about Mark Dwyer being out to kill his father, Dwyer himself was the target of a number of other people.
Scott Delaney agreed that a drug dealer in Clondalkin, named in court, had offered to put up £5,000 to kill Mark Dwyer. The gang of drugs dealer, P.J. Judge, shot dead five days before Mark Dwyer, was also out to kill him.
Scott Delaney said Chester Beatty's "crew" were looking for Dwyer, too. Chester Beatty "was a mate of ours", he said. Beatty, an alleged drug dealer, was shot dead in Mary Street last year.
Another alleged dealer, Christopher Curry, who was part of the gang that planned to share 40,000 ecstasy tablets imported from Amsterdam, was also threatening to kill Mark Dwyer.
There was also a "gang" from Blanchardstown after Mark Dwyer, the jury heard.
Questioned by Mr O'Carroll and Mr Justice Barr, Scott Delaney said that when he met a man on Thursday, December 13th, "I told this guy I would give him five grand to take Mark Dwyer out of his gaff".
But he claimed he had appealed to his father and the three men who had abducted Dwyer not to kill him. "They were saying to me we have to kill him, and I kept saying don't kill him". The trial continues before Mr Justice Barr and a jury today.