AN OFFALY man solicited another man to kill a man he blamed for the drowning of his son, the Central Criminal Court heard yesterday.
Eamon Tuohy, of Derrycooley, Rahan, Co Offaly, has pleaded not guilty to soliciting David Coleman to murder Joe Gallagher jnr on a date unknown between May 1st and September 30th, 2004, in Navan, Co Meath.
It is the prosecution's case that Mr Tuohy blamed a number of people for the drowning of his son, including Mr Gallagher, and that he solicited Mr Coleman to murder Mr Gallagher.
Yesterday the court heard that Mr Coleman, a fisherman, and Mr Tuohy had gone to the same school. Mr Coleman told the jury that Mr Tuohy said he wanted to meet in Brady's pub. He said he was in Brady's the next evening when the phone rang, and Mr Tuohy said he was outside. Mr Coleman went out, looked around and saw a man getting out of a car.
"We went inside. He said his son was murdered and that his other son found the body in the river . . . He mentioned three lads. He mentioned Joe Gallagher. He was very upset. He said, 'Could you get me a few lads to go down and sort him out, I'd like to see them get a good going over, a good hiding.' He talked about his son being 'murdered'. He was nearly in tears at this stage. He said 'If you could help me to get somebody to go down, I don't care if he gets broken up or in a wheelchair or shot.' He said there was £5,000 for whoever would go down and sort it out."
Mr Coleman told the court that Mr Tuohy said he would meet him the following evening. "I wouldn't turn up. I never spoke to that man since," Mr Coleman said.
During cross-examination, Mr Coleman told defence counsel Martin Giblin SC that, up until the alleged incident, he had seen neither Eamon Tuohy nor Joe Gallagher snr for "40 years". He said he did not tell gardaí about the alleged incident until two years later, as he was "never asked".
"After the meeting in the pub, I mulled it over in my mind what to do. I told Oliver Coleman [his cousin] to tell Joe Gallagher snr, to warn him that his son could be in danger. When my cousin explained to Joe Gallagher about that, Joe Gallagher approached me . . . He said, 'Probably the guards will want to see you.' "
Oliver Coleman told Mr Giblin he met his cousin David about a month after the alleged incident in Brady's.
"He told me that Mr Tuohy was f**king dangerous, he said he wanted someone to do Joe Gallagher jnr . . . David Coleman and me agreed that Joe Gallagher snr had to be told."
Oliver Coleman said he called Joe Gallagher snr and told him.
He said: "Last Monday morning for the first time I saw a young fella walking around who'd be in a grave if it wasn't for me . . . I reckon I saved a young man's life."
The trial continues.