The trial of Mr John Gilligan, the alleged drugs gang leader behind the murder of journalist Veronica Guerin, was adjourned until next month by the Special Criminal Court yesterday after the court heard no senior counsel are available to defend him. It was the third adjournment of the trial so far. Five senior counsel from the Northern Ireland bar and the Irish bar have been dismissed or have withdrawn from the case.
The trial was due to begin on November 21st but last week Gilligan's two senior counsel, Mr Eugene Grant QC and Dr Michael Forde, withdrew from the case because of what they said were matters of professional privilege.
Yesterday Mr Justice Diarmuid O'Donovan, presiding, said the court would adjourn the trial until December 4th and warned that this would be the last adjournment. "No excuses whatsoever will be entertained by the court for an adjournment of this trial. If counsel decide to opt out, this case will still go on and Mr Gilligan may well have to defend himself," the judge added.
The judge also asked Mr Grant and Dr Forde to appear before the court to explain what appeared to be an inconsistency between the reasons they gave to the court for withdrawing from the case, matters of legal professional privilege, and the reason they gave to Mr Gilligan's solicitor, which was that they had been compromised by an article in the Sunday Business Post.
The judge suggested to Mr Gilligan's solicitor, Mr Joe Rice, that if he has problems obtaining senior counsel he should write to the chairpersons of the Bar Council in Northern Ireland and the Republic inviting them to nominate counsel.
Mr Rice told the court that no senior counsel approached by him in the Republic, Northern Ireland or England would be available to begin the trial by November 21st. He said he had approached 33 senior counsel. He added that some counsel were reluctant to take up the case while others had taken part in related trials or cases involving the Criminal Assets Bureau.
A small group of leading counsel indicated they might be available in December or the new year.
"My client has instructed me that he would like the case to start as soon as possible. He is frustrated," Mr Rice said. Mr Gilligan was extradited from Britain last February after a 3 1/2 -year legal battle to prevent his return to Ireland to face murder and other charges.
Mr Gilligan (48), with addresses at Corduff Avenue, Blanchardstown, Dublin, Jess brook Equestrian Centre, Mucklon, Enfield, Co Kildare, and HM Prison Belmarsh, London, is charged with the murder of Sunday Independent crime reporter Ms Veronica Guerin (37), at Naas Road, Clondalkin, Dublin on June 26th, 1996.