RTE journalist Charlie Bird told the High Court yesterday he had not wanted to "get at" Ms Beverley Cooper-Flynn TD in broadcasts in 1998. He had made every effort to get her side of the story beforehand, Mr Bird said. The story had come to RTE, he had not gone looking for it. Giving evidence in the Fianna Fail TD's action alleging she was libelled in those broadcasts, Mr Bird said he drove from Dublin to Cavan on June 18th, 1998, and waited for more than two hours at the Slieve Russell Hotel reception area in the hope of delivering a letter relating to a story RTE was doing about Ms Cooper-Flynn.
Mr Bird (51) said he had contacted her earlier that day and outlined that people were making certain allegations about the way she had sold a CMI investment product while working for National Irish Bank.
A meeting of the Fianna Fail Parliamentary Party was in progress at the hotel later that day. He did not meet Ms Cooper-Flynn there. On failing to make contact with her, he had asked a duty manager to get the letter to her. There was no point "chaining myself to the railings" in the reception area.
He left the hotel about 7.30 p.m. and drove back to Dublin. He made four attempts by phone on the return journey to find out if the letter was delivered. The following morning he made two further phone calls and was told the hotel staff had been unable to hand the letter to Ms Cooper-Flynn personally, but had put it under the door of her room.
Earlier that day, he had made a number of efforts to contact Ms Cooper-Flynn. RTE had decided the station was going to broadcast the item and he sought her response. If she had given an interview, it would have been included as part of the programme.
Mr Kevin Feeney SC, for RTE and Mr Bird, referred to a suggestion that Mr Bird had wanted to "get at" Ms Cooper-Flynn. Mr Bird said that was not so and not his function as a journalist. He did not want to "get at" anybody.
He had first tried to make contact with Ms Cooper-Flynn by phone at Leinster House that morning. He told her he wanted to give her details of what was being alleged. She said she was going to a gathering in Cavan and as soon as she got a fax number she would give it to him.
He rang her by mobile phone again about 2 1/2 hours later. He was not aware where she was. She said she had made up her mind and added: "You do whatever you have to do and I'll do whatever I have to." He interpreted that as meaning she was not going to take a letter from him and was not going to give him a fax number.
He outlined what people were going to say on the programme and drove to Cavan later.
He got no response from the TD before his report was broadcast on the 6.01 news on June 19th, 1998. After the broadcast, there was a statement from Ms Cooper-Flynn. He arranged for a sizeable portion of it to be incorporated into his 9 p.m. television news report. He gave it all the force and authority he could.
Mr Feeney said Ms Cooper-Flynn complained that if she had not been a member of Fianna Fail, the story would not have received the coverage it did. Mr Bird said she was right about that, but the fact she was a member of the parliamentary party and a member of the Dail Public Accounts Committee added to its significance. Mr Bird also said he had received an anonymous letter alleging that a named retired judge and former EU commissioner, Mr Padraig Flynn, were both involved in the CMI offshore portfolio. He had called the retired judge who answered questions put to him.
"I was surprised by his upfront response," Mr Bird said.
He also spoke to Mr Flynn by phone. Mr Flynn was quite angry and said he did not know anything about such an alleged investment. Mr Flynn was also sent a formal letter and had replied stating that neither he nor his wife was involved. That was the end of the matter so far as Mr Flynn was concerned, Mr Bird said.
Yesterday was the 22nd day of Ms Cooper-Flynn's action alleging she was libelled in RTE broadcasts of June and July 1998. She is suing RTE; Mr Bird and a retired farmer, Mr James Howard, of Wheaton Hall, Drogheda, Co Louth. She claims words used in the broadcasts meant she had instigated a scheme intended as a means to evade the lawful payment of tax. Earlier, Mr Bird told Mr Justice Morris and the jury his investigations into National Irish Bank began in January 1998, after a phone call from a leading trade unionist who had said he had a story. He met that man who was not prepared to go on the record. From Sandymount, Dublin, Mr Bird said he left school at 17 or 18, not having done very well. His weak subject was maths. He did not pass his Leaving Certificate and did not think he passed his Inter Cert. In the late 1960s, he worked in a premises making women's cold cream and perfume. He worked in The Irish Times library, before becoming a researcher in RTE and got a job as a reporter in May 1980.
In preparing the NIB story, he received information from a number of sources, from people off the record. RTE had tried to contact NIB officials in early 1998 but got no response. It was not someone in the bank who led him to Ms Cooper-Flynn. He first made contact with her on January 20th, 1998, having been told she had been selling a CMI product and won a trip to Australia from CMI. When he rang her, she told him she did not want to talk about it and referred him to NIB. After the first broadcast about CMI in January 1998, it was decided journalist George Lee would do a follow-up. There was no mention of Ms Cooper-Flynn in the first broadcast.
Asked what caused Ms Cooper-Flynn to come back to attention, Mr Bird said he got a phone call from a man named Mr Gerry Trainor in Cavan.
The hearing continues today.