THE DIRECTOR of Public Prosecutions refused to comment last night after a garda expressed surprise that no prosecutions were directed regarding the murder of Baiba Saulite.
Det Supt Walter O’Sullivan told coroner Dr Kieran Geraghty at the Dublin County Coroner’s Court a file on the murder was sent to the DPP. The recommendation was for a prosecution, he said, and “it came as a surprise” that no prosecutions were directed.
Ms Saulite (28), Holywell Square, Feltrim Road, Swords, was shot three times by a lone gunman while smoking a cigarette at the front door of her home with a friend on November 19th, 2006.
The detective told the inquest Ms Saulite was “specifically targeted” and that gardaí believe the person who shot her was contracted to do so by a third party.
“It was apparent from very early on in the investigation that sinister and heartless persons of a serious criminal ilk were involved in the deliberate and violent taking of this young woman’s life,” he said.
An extensive murder inquiry was launched and gardaí were “strongly committed” to it, he said. He told the coroner this was at a point where it could not progress further without new information.
A spokeswoman for DPP James Hamilton said the office would not comment on the case. She highlighted the DPP’s policy on giving reasons for non-prosecutions. The policy, initiated in 2008, stated reasons would only be given to people connected with the deceased in cases where an an injustice would not be caused and where the offence happened after October 2008.
The jury at the coroner’s court yesterday returned a unanimous verdict of death by unlawful killing. Coroner Dr Kieran Geraghty said it was “a pity a jury didn’t get to hear all of the evidence” in the case. He described the shooting as a “callous and brutal murder” which left Ms Saulite’s two children without the “love and protection of a mother”.
The court heard the mother of two from Riga and her friend and housemate Mudita Antane (53), were standing at the front door of the rented house at Holywell Square, smoking cigarettes, when Ms Saulite was shot at 9.50pm.
Her two sons Ali Alexandre (5) and Mohammed Rami (3), were sleeping upstairs at the time.
Ms Antane, who cried silently while giving evidence at the inquest, said she was standing beside Ms Saulite when she noticed a person in grey come from the right side.
“I saw he had a gun. When he fired the first shot, I heard the bang . . . I think I heard two shots.” The person ran away and jumped into a waiting vehicle.
Ms Saulite staggered inside, clutching her chest, before collapsing in the hall outside the kitchen door. Another friend of Ms Saulite’s, Inese Grabante, had left her side seconds earlier and also witnessed the shooting.
Another housemate was in the living room and heard the commotion.
A postmortem by State Pathologist Prof Marie Cassidy found the death was due to gunshot wounds to the chest and contributory gunshot wounds to the right arm.
The inquest heard evidence that Ms Saulite was in fear of being harmed. There were knocks to the door and ringing at the doorbell twice on the evening of the shooting, the last at about 9pm.
Det Supt O’Sullivan said this was probably some preparatory work for the murder.
On the first occasion Ms Saulite was not there and her two housemates did not open the door. Ms Antane said Ms Saulite “had told them not to answer the door to anybody”.
The second time, Ms Saulite called out, first in Latvian and then in English, and a man said he wished to deliver a pizza. Ms Saulite did not answer the door and said it was the wrong address.