A state witness, Charles Bowden, told the Special Criminal Court yesterday that Mr Brian Meehan, the man accused of murdering the journalist Veronica Guerin, carried out a botched murder attempt on a Dublin criminal, Martin Foley.
Bowden said the accused and Paul Ward, who is serving a life sentence for the Guerin murder, took part in the machinegun attack in Dublin on Foley in February 1996.
Bowden said Mr Meehan told him Foley had been telling the "politicals" (paramilitary organisations) that the drugs gang of which the accused and Bowden were members was selling heroin and cocaine and Mr Meehan did not want the "politicals" to think they were dealing heroin.
It was the 16th day of the trial of Mr Brian Meehan (34), of no fixed abode, formerly of Clifton Court, Dublin and Stanaway Road, Crumlin, Dublin, who has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Ms Guerin (36) at Naas Road, Clondalkin, Dublin, on June 26th, 1996.
The accused also denies 16 other charges alleging that he unlawfully imported cannabis resin into the State on various dates between July 1st, 1994, and October 6th, 1996; that he unlawfully possessed cannabis resin for the purpose of sale or supply on the same dates; and that on or about October 3rd, 1996, at Unit 1B, Greenmount Industrial Estate, Harold's Cross, Dublin, he had cannabis resin for sale or supply.
He has also pleaded not guilty to having a Sten sub-machinegun, silencer barrel, two magazines, a 9mm Agram machine pistol, five Walther semi-automatic pistols, four magazines and 1,057 rounds of assorted ammunition with intent to endanger life at Oldcourt Road, Tallaght, Dublin, between November 10th, 1995, and October 3rd, 1996.
Cross-examined by Mr Meehan's counsel, Mr John McCrudden QC, Bowden said he knew how four of the guns smuggled into the country along with cannabis and stored in a Jewish cemetery in Tallaght were used. He said one sub-machinegun was used in the shooting of Martin Foley, two guns were given to a gang member, Mr B, to "keep the politicials off his back" and one, a Magnum revolver, was used to murder Veronica Guerin.
Bowden said he had been told by Mr Meehan to give the two guns to Mr B and he agreed that the weapons were used "as currency" by the gang run by Mr A and by Mr B. Bowden said he had received information from Mr Meehan that the drug-dealing activities of the gang were under threat from paramilitaries..
He told Mr McCrudden that he had instructed Mr Meehan how to shoot the weapon before the Foley shooting and when it was put to him that he was the weapons expert in the gang he replied: "There was a fair amount of experience in using guns in that gang".
Bowden denied he had shot Martin Foley and Ms Guerin and also denied a suggestion by Mr McCrudden that he had shot Martin Foley in his "capacity as a gunman for Mr A and Mr B".
He said he had gone with Mr Meehan and another gang member, Mr D, to the cemetery where the guns were stored and had got a sub-machinegun and .45 pistol for the Foley shooting. He, Mr Meehan and Mr D then went to a field at the back of the graveyard and test-fired the sub-machinegun. Bowden said they had tied a white plastic bag to a tree as a target.
Bowden then identified in court a Sten sub-machinegun with silenced barrel that was found by gardai in a grave at the Jewish cemetery as the weapon used in the Foley shooting. He demonstrated how he had shown Mr Meehan how to fire the gun and said that Mr Meehan had held the gun and had fired it.
Bowden said he had been at Paul Ward's house on the day of the Foley shooting, listening to a radio scanner monitoring Garda messages, and Mr Meehan and Paul Ward came in and got a change of clothing.
He said he was listening to the scanner to find out when the shooting happened and then to "get the gaff ready for Brian and Hippo to come back".
The trial continues today.