A Sligo woman has issued High Court proceedings for compensation against four men, three of whom are serving terms of life imprisonment for her husband's murder. The fourth man was convicted of having a shotgun which, gardaí said, was used in the murder of Terry Madden.
The court has granted orders to Ms Margaret Madden, Monasteraden, Ballaghaderreen, Co Sligo, widow of Terry Madden, freezing monies alleged to belong to Michael Doohan (36), Ashbury Lawn, Ballinode, a private in the Defence Forces, and his girlfriend, Ms Paula Regan.
Doohan, Patrick McGrath (59), Gurteen, and Michael Joseph Herron (33), Chapel Street, Ballyshannon, Co Donegal, were convicted by the Special Criminal Court in July 2000 of murdering Mr Madden. Thomas Derrig (51), Culfadda, Ballymote, Co Sligo, pleaded guilty to possessing a single-barrelled sawn-off shotgun at his home in October 1998. He received a three-year sentence which was suspended. Gardaí said the shotgun was used in Mr Madden's murder but it was accepted that Derrig did not know this.
The Special Criminal Court was told the Maddens owned a guest house, Lough Gara View House, and the Doohans owned a guest house half a mile away, Lough Gara Lodge.
Doohan told gardaí that Mr Madden had planted trees which obstructed his family's guesthouse view of Lough Gara and he claimed that Mr Madden had arranged for the Doohan guesthouse to be taken off the Bord Fáilte computer.
The Special Criminal Court was told that Doohan paid Herron £1,500 to carry out a "punishment-style beating" on Mr Madden. Mr Madden bled to death after receiving two gunshot wounds to the legs. The court was satisfied Herron fired the shots.
In her High Court proceedings, Ms Madden said in an affidavit that Doohan was given bail pending his trial using the house at Ashbury Lawn as security. The house, Racecourse View, Cranmore, Sligo, was sold by Ms Regan, Doohan's girlfriend and mother of his child, last November, and the likely price was between €185,000 and €190,000, Ms Madden said.
The court granted orders restraining Doohan and Ms Regan removing or dealing with assets which would prejudice Ms Madden's action for damages.