Protected witness Charles Bowden told the Special Criminal Court today that he loaded the gun used in the attempted murder of Dublin criminal Martin Foley five years ago.
Bowden said that he had loaded and primed the gun used in the shooting of Martin Foley in February, 1996 He said he was in a house listening to garda messages on a scanner on the day that Paul Ward and Brian Meehan carried out the shooting.
He said he was not concerned that he would be charged with the attemped murder of Martin Foley. "The primary charge I was worried about was the murder(of Guerin) charge."
Bowden also said that he put the gun back in a grave at a Jewish cemetery after the Foley shooting.
Earlier Bowden said that when he was arrested in England in March 1997 he had no option but to return to Ireland. Bowden said : "I was left with only one option - to go home and co-operate with the police."
He said during the journey to Lucan Garda Station he told gardai that the reason he had run away to England was because he couldn't contact anybody and was afraid he would be charged with murder.
Bowden said he made a lengthy statement to gardai at Mountjoy prison on March 18th, 1997. He agreed with Mr O' Higgins that his alibi had "fallen" because his wife Juliet had given gardai a different account of his movements on the day of the murder. He said that he had expected that Juliet would confirm his version of events.
Bowden agreed that he initially told gardai that Brian Meehan had confessed his involvement in the murder during a conversation at the Hole in the Wall pub and that he later changed that to taking place at his hairdresser's shop in Moore St around 2.00 p.m. on the day of the murder. Bowden said he had been wrong and had made a mistake.
Bowden also agreed that he had added "the ghoulish line" in his March statement that "the Wig" had emptied the whole gun into her, "fair play to him."
He said he could not understand why he was in Mountjoy prison at all in March, 1997. When asked if he still could not understand why he is in prison, Bowden replied: "I know why I am in prison. I know the reason I am sitting here is because a girl died, that's why I'm here."
Bowden agreed that six weeks after he was sentenced to six years imprisonment in October, 1997 he had made an application to get out of prison. He agreed that this was "a preoccupation" of his and also agreed that it was "a cultureshock" to find himself in Mountjoy.
He agreed that it was "absolutely horrifying" the prospect of serving a life sentence in Mountjoy.
It was the twentieth day of the trial of John Gilligan (48), with addresses at Corduff Avenue, Blanchardstown, Dublin; Jessbrook Equestrian Centre, Mucklon, Enfield, Co Kildare; and HM Prison Belmarsh, London, who has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Sunday Independentcrime reporter Veronica Guerin(37) at Naas Road, Clondalkin, Dublin on June 26th, 1996.
Gilligan also denies fifteen other counts alleging the importation of cannabis and firearms and ammunition offences.
The trial continues tomorrow.