A former massage-parlour owner yesterday described how two men wearing balaclavas burst into his home in Cork city shouting "Get him, get him" before fleeing after he locked himself in a room and claimed he had a gun.
Mr John O'Connor said in evidence that the incident occurred in April 1999 at his home in Hazel Road, Togher, Cork.
He told Cork Circuit Criminal Court that he received a phone call not long after the men had left from an individual who identified himself as a member of the IRA. The caller demanded that £10,000 be delivered to a car-park in Cork.
Mr O'Connor claimed that when he did not turn up with the money the calls got more vicious, and he was told he would be shot.
He phoned a man he had met a couple of weeks earlier, Mr Edward Buckley, and he came to the house even though he said he was frightened.
Mr O'Connor said he feared for his safety and left his home in Cork in order to spend some time in Dublin. He contacted Mr Buckley, who allegedly agreed to pay £4,000 to the gang on his behalf, money which he claimed he paid back in July 1999.
The witness for the prosecution said that when he returned to his home in Togher, Cork, the calls started up again. The caller threatened him and told him his children would be targeted.
He said he moved to Macroom, Co Cork, with his partner, Ms Catherine Deasy, because he was worried about events.
Mr O'Connor was giving evidence at the trial of Mr Edward Buckley (33), of Manor Hill, Ballincollig, Co Cork. He has pleaded not guilty to charges of demanding money in the name of the IRA, being in possession of cocaine for sale or supply and assault causing harm.
The trial is expected to last a week.