A protected witness, Russell Warren, has told the Special Criminal Court he believed last month that the State was "blackmailing" him into giving evidence against Mr John Gilligan, who is accused of the murder of Veronica Guerin.
Warren agreed with Mr Gilligan's counsel, Mr Terence McDonald QC, that he made a habeas corpus application to the High Court last month seeking early release from Arbour Hill prison. He is serving a five-year sentence there for stealing the motorcycle used in the murder and handling the proceeds of drug-trafficking.
Warren said another protected witness, Charles Bowden, prepared an affidavit to support his application. He said he thought the State was planning to "hold us until after the trials were over and not give us full temporary release".
He agreed it was his perception that if he did not give evidence against Mr Gilligan he would not get early release. "You thought the State was blackmailing you to make sure you gave evidence against the man in the dock?" Mr McDonald asked Warren, who replied: "At the time, yes."
Warren went on to say he had received a letter from Mr John Kenny of the Prisons Operations Division at the Department of Justice on January 4th. in the letter, Mr Kenny said a "firm proposal" for early release would be sent to the Minister for Justice as soon as the ?????? i Garda indicated a date for taking Warren into the Witness Protection Programme outside prison.
He said he was giving evidence because he wanted to give evidence, not because he was trying to get released from prison. But he agreed there was "not much trust" between himself and the Department of Justice. He said he was due for release from prison in May.
Warren said early release was dealt with on a "rolling review basis", and he agreed there was a "wink and nod" relationship with the Department. He denied there was a deal between him and the Department and said it was "like dangling a carrot" in front of him.
Warren told Mr McDonald he had a criminal record and admitted he had perjured himself during a criminal trial in the 1980s. He said when he was first interviewed by gardai in July 1996 he told lies. He also admitted that he had got his wife to make a statement which was also a lie and which was his alibi.
Warren denied he knew before the Guerin murder that she was going to be shot. He said there were a lot of mobile phone calls between himself, Mr Gilligan and Brian Meehan on the morning of the murder.
Warren said he knew Meehan was on the bike on the day of the murder although he admitted he did not see his face. He admitted he stole the bike along with a "good friend" and also admitted that on another occasion he had spent part of a night at a hotel in Bray with the man's girlfriend when his own wife was away in Portugal.
He agreed that on the same night he was with his friend's girlfriend he rang his sister and asked her to deliver £10,000 to a man who cannot be named by order of the court. Warren said he rang his sister because he had been directed by Mr Gilligan to deliver the money and could not do it himself.
It was the 14th day of the trial of Mr Gilligan (48), who has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Sunday Independent crime reporter, Veronica Guerin (37), on June 26th, 1996. Mr Gilligan also denies 15 other counts alleging the importation of cannabis and firearms and ammunition offences.
The trial continues next Tuesday.