A man has been jailed for a year for committing perjury at a high-profile murder trial four years ago. Roy Behan (29), Cherrydale Park, Dublin Road, Limerick, was charged with knowingly making a false statement at Liam Keane's murder trial at the Central Criminal Court in Dublin in November 2003.
Mr Keane was on trial for the murder of Eric Leamy (19), who was stabbed to death in Lee Estate, Limerick, in August 2001.
The trial collapsed after a number of key prosecution witnesses, including Behan, failed to stand over statements they had made to gardaí in which they identified Mr Keane as the alleged killer.
Mr Leamy's parents, Geraldine and Anthony, said yesterday they would continue to fight for justice. They said it was "disgraceful" that Behan had refused to give evidence.
"We wouldn't have left him lift the coffin if we thought he was going to do something like that," Mr Leamy said.
Defence counsel Brian McInerney argued that his client had acted out of fear for his safety and that of his family. He said Behan had been threatened by the late Kieran Keane who had called to his home armed with a handgun and offered him €30,000 not to give evidence against his nephew, Liam.
The jury heard that Kieran Keane told Behan: "If you make a statement I'll kill you . . . I'll take you away in the boot of a car."
Judge Carroll Moran said eight people refused to give evidence at the murder trial.
Perjury undermined "the whole fabric of the criminal justice system" and "no mater how heartbreaking the situation", it was something that could not be tolerated.