A Limerick man accused in connection with the murder of Det Garda Jerry McCabe allegedly told gardai he was "a dead man" and he would be found in south Armagh with a bag over his head, the Special Criminal Court was told yesterday.
Det Garda Padraig Clark said Mr John Quinn (30), of Faha, Patrickswell, Co Limerick, who is accused of conspiracy and ammunition charges, said he wanted to make a verbal statement off the record.
He then allegedly said: "I'm a dead man. I'm looking at 30 years, ye know that. What if this got sanctioned from above? Where do I stand? I know it got the nod from above. I was told I'd be found in south Armagh with a bag over my head." Det Garda Clark said Mr Quinn repeatedly said: "I'm f. . .d, I'm a dead man." He was giving evidence in a trial within a trial on the admissibility of statements allegedly made by Mr Quinn to gardai.
It was the tenth day of the trial of four men accused of the capital murder of Det Garda McCabe (52), a father of five, during an abortive post office van robbery at Adare in Co Limerick on June 7th, 1996. The four men are Mr Pearse McCauley (34), from Strabane, Co Tyrone, with no fixed address, and three Co Limerick men, Mr Jeremiah Sheehy (36), of Abbey Park, Rathkeale and Mr Michael O'Neill (46) and Mr Kevin Walsh (42), both of Lisheen Park, Patrickswell.
They have pleaded not guilty to the capital murder of Det Garda McCabe and to the attempted murder of his colleague, Det Garda Ben O'Sullivan, on the same date. They have also denied other charges. Mr Quinn has denied unlawfully having ammunition at Patrickswell on June 6th, 1996 and conspiring with others between June 5th and 8th 1996 to commit a robbery at Adare. Det Garda Clark said Mr Quinn made his comments during an interview at Henry Street Garda station on June 10th, 1996. He said that during another interview on June 11th Mr Quinn told gardai: "I knew there was a job on. I knew it was a post office job. Kevin asked me to make myself available and I knew what that meant."
Mr Quinn said he bought two packets of plastic ties for £48 with his own money and had "a good idea" they were "to tie people up". He said Mr Walsh asked him to pick up a man at Rathkeale on the Thursday night before the robbery and he did so. Mr Quinn said he went to a pub and a black jeep and another car arrived with a number of men. Mr Walsh got into the car and Mr Quinn said "a ramming job" was mentioned.
He said two other people in the car were "higher than Kevin" and one of them said ramming could not be sanctioned because it was too dangerous, but Mr Walsh said it would be all right. Mr Walsh told him to get diesel for the jeep and also to be "the pilot" and to drive them up the road.
He drove up the road followed by the jeep with Mr Walsh driving and a silver Mitsubishi car. They passed the Patrickswell patrol car and Mr Quinn stopped but Mr Walsh told him it was all right and they drove on. Mr Quinn said he got diesel in a black drum and dropped it off. At the end of the statement Mr Quinn said: "That's it all lads, I'm f. . .d, I'm dead."
The trial continues today.