Murder victim Mrs Philomena Gillane hit her husband in a Co Galway bar in 1993 and threatened she would take every penny he owned, the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court was told yesterday.
The jury also heard that Mr Patrick Gillane told a garda his late mother-in-law, Mrs Nonie Gordon, was aware of his affair with his sister-in-law, Ms Bridie Gordon.
Det Garda Gerard Dillon said during an interview just over a year after Mrs Gillane's body was found in the boot of her car at Athlone railway station, Mr Gillane told him his wife "fucked him about" one night and threatened to take all he owned.
Det Garda Thomas Byrne, who also interviewed the accused man at the end of June and beginning of July 1995, said Mr Gillane spoke about his relationship with his sister-in-law and the "good times" they had had together.
He said his sister-in-law wanted him to leave his wife and move in with her. She had "given out" to him before his marriage to Philomena and kept pestering him afterwards.
Det Garda Byrne told the jury on the fourth day of the trial the accused man also said Ms Bridie Gordon didn't like it when Philomena was home because she was too bossy and interfered with their lives.
Mr Gillane (35), of Glenbrack, Gort, Co Galway, has pleaded not guilty to soliciting Mr Christopher Bolger and Mr Michael Doyle in Dublin on a date unknown in January 1994 to murder his wife.
Evidence about the public row between the accused man and his wife was given by Mrs Kathleen Bergin, a publican in Mountbellew, Co Galway.
She recalled a night in her lounge around Christmas 1993 when Mr Gillane and Ms Bridie Gordon were there. Mrs Gillane came in and demanded her husband go home with her.
Mrs Bergin said Mrs Gillane hit him when he refused to go and threatened she would take him for every penny he had. Ms Gordon took no part in the row, but tried to persuade him to leave with his wife. Mr Gillane said nothing. Mrs Gillane then left.
Det Sgt James B. Hanley told prosecuting counsel Mr Edward Comyn SC that Mr Gillane denied during interviews in Mill Street Garda station, Galway on June 30th, 1995, soliciting the two men to kill his wife.
He told Mr Gillane the gardai believed Mr Bolger and Mr Doyle. The accused man replied: "They are only winos from Dublin and will do anything for a drink."
He was told the men had come voluntarily to gardai and replied they were liars. He denied meeting anyone to ask for directions or buying cigarettes. He was told he could clear his name by standing on an identification parade, but declined to do that.
The accused man said he agreed the notes of the interview were correct when read over to him, but declined to sign them on legal advice.
Det Sgt Hanley said Mr Gillane conceded he had been in Dublin on a Sunday at the end of January 1994. "I was up there to bring back some of Phil's stuff, but I didn't meet her because she was out walking," he said.
Mr Doyle was in the hallway of Mill Street station on July 1st, 1995, and pointed out the accused man as he passed by. He then identified him again in an interview room as the man who asked him to kill his wife. Det Garda Alan Baily told Mr Comyn he was involved in social work at the Capuchin Order's daycentre for homeless men and knew Mr Bolger from that. Mr Bolger met him somewhat upset at about noon in the Bridewell Garda station on May 20th, 1994. He returned in the afternoon with Mr Doyle and had a copy of the Irish Independent of May 19th with a photograph of the accused man on the front page. The following day, Mr Bolger made a statement. Det Garda Baily said he discussed the matter with Mr Doyle but he declined to make a statement. Witness made a memorandum of his conversation with Mr Doyle, who did not say at that time that the man asked him to kill his wife.
Mr Doyle, during his continued cross-examination by Mr Eamonn Leahy SC defending, insisted he was right in his identification of Mr Gillane as the man who asked him to kill his wife. He agreed that when he first met Det Garda Baily on May 20th, 1994, he made no mention of the man saying he wanted his wife killed. He agreed he first said that to Det Garda Joe Breslin in July when he went to view the video of the RTE News programme of May 18th, 1994, on which he first saw the man. Before that he had just said it was a woman who worked in a hospital.
Pressed by Mr Leahy if he was mistaken about his identification, Mr Doyle said: "I made no mistake at all. That's the man. People can make a mistake, but I never forget a face".
The prosecution case has now ended and defence counsel Mr Leahy has told Judge Joseph Mathews his client will be the only defence witness to give evidence. The trial is expected to end late today.