A 45-year-old man has been found guilty of attempting by corrupt means to influecne a juror in a criminal trial at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court in June 2003.
James Walsh, of Mountainview Drive, Rathfarnham, was, however, acquitted of attempting to pervert the course of justice by calling the brother of the said jury's foreman and asking him if his brother "could be swung".
The juror Mr Walsh was found guilty of attempting to influence was serving as the jury foreman in the trial of Director of Public Prosecutions v Sean Fitzgerald and Jason Black, heard from May 25th, 2003 to June 4th, 2003 before Judge Frank O'Donnell.
Sean Fitzgerald (55), of Dunmore Park, and Jason Black (30), of Tyrnonville Drive, both from Tallaght, were found guilty on the same day by the said jury of handling a stolen car and setting fire to parts of it on dates unknown between May 20th and May 26th, 1999.
They were jailed for the crimes for five years each on July 29th, 2003.
Mr Walsh told the jury that he had only contacted the foreman of the Fitzgerald and Black jury to arrange a meeting with him in connection with an "army re-union do".
They had both served in the army together. He admitted to making the phone call on June 4th, 2003, on the day when the jury began its deliberations.
He made the call while at a public house with Fitzgerald and Black. He denied, however, that he made the call on request from Fitzgerald.
When Mr Walsh and the foreman of the brother had the telephone conversation the jury in the Fitzgerald and Black trial were sequestered in a Dublin hotel, having retired there for the night after a few hours of deliberations.
Sergeant Albert Bell agreed with Mr Walsh's counsel, Mr Peter Finlay SC (with Mr Sean O Siothchain BL), that there was extra tight security around the particular jury and that it would have been impossible to make contact with its members while they were at the hotel.
Judge Donagh McDonagh remanded Mr Walsh on bail for sentence tomorrow after his counsel applied for time for Mr Walsh to make arrangements for the care of his two sons should he be jailed. Mr Walsh has sole custody of the two teenagers.