The daughter of a retired farmer being sued by the Fianna Fail TD Ms Beverley Cooper Flynn told the High Court yesterday she remembered a visit by the TD to her home and congratulating her on her engagement ring.
Ms Marina Howard was being cross-examined by Mr Garrett Cooney SC, for Ms Cooper-Flynn, in the action in which the witness's father, Mr James Howard, RTE and journalist Charlie Bird are being sued by the TD for libel in a series of RTE programmes broadcast in 1998.
Ms Howard was the last witness in the action, which entered its 24th day yesterday. It resumes on Tuesday when counsel are expected to address the jury.
Earlier yesterday, Ms Howard said she went to England in 1988 to work. She returned to Ireland but found it difficult to find work and went back to England. She worked for over a year with Westminster City Council and returned to Ireland in March 1990.
She told Mr Paul O'Higgins SC, for Mr Howard, she was at home with no work between March and May 1990. Before lunch one day, Ms Beverley Flynn was there and they chatted for a few minutes.
Ms Howard said she congratulated Ms Flynn on her engagement ring. Ms Flynn had said she had got engaged recently, that her boyfriend was working in England and would be coming home. They chatted about Ms Flynn's job in the bank. They were together for about 20 minutes.
She did not know who Ms Flynn was. Her father told her later she was from some sort of financial business.
"I thought, my God, here I am home from England, penniless, with no job prospects," said Ms Howard. Ms Flynn had a brilliant position in the bank, had recently been engaged and "had everything".
Her father and Ms Flynn had a discussion but she did not know what business they discussed. Ms Howard said Ms Flynn was wearing an engagement ring, a one-stone solitaire which was more on the generous size than on the small size.
Ms Flynn left some sort of business card which said "financial consultant". "I like the name Beverley and thought even the name was nice."
Asked by Mr John Trainor SC, for RTE and Mr Bird, if any pressure was brought to bear on her by Mr Bird to do an interview, Ms Howard replied: "None whatsoever."
Cross-examined by Mr Garrett Cooney SC, for Ms Cooper-Flynn, about her remark at the end of the second interview with Mr Bird in which Ms Howard said: "Charlie, can she come back at me?", Ms Howard said she may have said this because it was her word against Ms Cooper-Flynn's.
She thought she might be sued and feared she could even lose her home over something so trivial.
Asked by Mr Cooney why she felt she might be sued, Ms Howard said for saying things like this, for telling the truth.
Surely, counsel said, you cannot believe you can be sued successfully for telling the truth in a court of law? Ms Howard replied: "Well, Daddy has". There was a burst of laughter and some people applauded.
Mr Justice Morris said such behaviour was quite unacceptable in a court of law. "Kindly do not clap," he said.