Jury told how man learned he was hitman's intended victim

A MAN told the Central Criminal Court in Dublin yesterday how he learned he was one of the intended victims of a hired hitman…

A MAN told the Central Criminal Court in Dublin yesterday how he learned he was one of the intended victims of a hired hitman.

Robert Howard told how he met a man calling himself Tony who offered him the chance to pay €100,000 to buy out the contract whereby Mr Howard, his brother and his father were to be killed.

Clare woman Sharon Collins (45), of Ballybeg House, Kildysart Road, Ennis, and Essam Eid (53), an Egyptian man with a Las Vegas address, have pleaded not guilty to conspiring to kill PJ, Robert and Niall Howard between August 1st and September 26th, 2006. Ms Collins also denied hiring Mr Eid to shoot the men.

Mr Eid denies demanding €100,000 from Mr Howard to cancel the contracts. He also denies breaking into the Howard family business at Westgate Business Park and stealing two computers, cables, a digital clock and a poster of old Irish money and then handling the stolen items.

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Mr Howard told Tom O’Connell SC, prosecuting, that he received a call on his mobile phone from “Tony” at about 10.30pm on September 26th, 2006.

“It was a male voice and he said ‘I heard you lost a few computers’.” Mr Howard said he was a director of the family property investment business, Downes Howard, where he and his brother worked with their father.

Ms Collins, who was PJ Howard’s partner at the time, also worked in the business.

Seven people had keys to the premises, including the Howards, Ms Collins, a cleaner, a handyman and the firm’s accountant. All these people would have had the alarm codes as well.

On September 26th, Mr Howard had come into work as usual. The Chubb lock on the front door was not locked. Going upstairs, he noticed the alarm was not on either. A laptop belonging to him was missing along with a computer from the reception area, some computer cables, a digital clock and a picture of Irish money.

Mr Howard said the robbery had been reported to gardaí. That evening he received the phone call. “He said, ‘I will be at your house in five minutes’.” Mr Howard said he did not contact gardaí because he did not believe anyone would turn up. “Next thing I knew, there was a knock at the door about five minutes later.”

The man standing outside said his name was Tony and Mr Howard said he could see something on the bonnet of his car. The man collected it and Mr Howard could see it was the blue Toshiba laptop taken in the robbery.

Mr Howard said he went inside and gave the laptop to his brother, who phoned the Garda. Mr Howard went back outside. The man told him there was a contract out on him, his brother and his father, worth €130,000.

“He said he didn’t want to do it and he said he wanted me to buy the contract out for €100,000.”

Mr Howard said the man had documents showing how to get to his house, how to get to his father’s house and how to get to the holiday home he and his brother owned. He also had photographs of their father. Mr Howard said he took the photographs and later give them to gardaí.