The man who provided the motorcycle used in the murder of Veronica Guerin told the Special Criminal Court yesterday that he witnessed the journalist's killing after following her from Naas courthouse.
Russell Warren said that after the shooting he froze and everything seemed to be in slow motion. Warren said that the night before the killing Mr Brian Meehan, who is accused of the murder, took a stolen motorcycle he provided for a test drive.
It was the 17th day of the trial of Mr Meehan (34), of no fixed abode and formerly of Clifton Court, Dublin, and Stanaway Road, Crumlin, who has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Ms Guerin (36), at Naas Road, Dublin, on June 26th, 1996.
Mr Meehan also denies 16 other charges of importing cannabis resin between July 1994 and October 1996, and having cannabis resin for sale or supply.
He has also pleaded not guilty to having a Sten sub-machinegun, silencer barrel, two magazines, a 9mm Agram machine pistol, five Walther semi-automatic pistols, four magazines and 1,057 rounds of ammunition with intent to endanger life at Oldcourt Road, Dublin, between November 1995 and October 1996.
Warren (36) told the court he was serving five years for stealing a motorcycle and money laundering and is in the Witness Protection Programme. He said he collected money for Mr A, the leader of the drugs gang behind the Guerin murder, and delivered it to Belgium, Schiphol Airport and Central Station in Amsterdam.
Warren said he delivered between £100,000 and £250,000 once or twice a week from Christmas 1995 to June 1996. He was paid £1,000 for each trip and paid his own expenses out of that.
Warren agreed with Mr Peter Charleton, prosecuting, that he acted as "bagman, money-counter and sometimes chauffeur" for Mr A. He said that in May 1996 he stole a motorcycle from a garage in Dun Laoghaire and kept it in a garage in Terenure.
On one occasion he picked up Mr A from his home and on the way to a bookie's Mr A told him to hang on to the motorcycle as he might need it. He later met Mr A and Mr Brian Meehan in Terenure and showed them the motorcycle and they told him to make it roadworthy.
On that occasion Mr A told him that if he made statements against him he would kill his mother and father, sisters and brothers and his wife. The night before the Guerin murder Mr Meehan checked out the motorcycle at the garage in Terenure and said it would not be his first choice but it would do. He then took it for a test drive. Mr Meehan asked him if he knew Veronica Guerin and gave him a description.
The next day Mr Meehan collected the motorcycle and told him Mr A wanted him to go to Naas and look for a red Opel sports car at the courthouse. Warren said he drove to Naas in his van and spoke to Mr Meehan and Mr A on their mobile phones several times.
After arriving in Naas he found the courthouse and saw the red Opel leaving. He rang Mr Meehan and told him the car was heading towards Dublin and Mr Meehan told him to follow it.
He followed the car and spoke to Mr Meehan and Mr A on the mobile phone and when he told Mr Meehan that the red car was passing Airmotive on the Naas dual carriageway, Mr Meehan said: "I see it."
Warren said he was about four cars behind the red car in the same lane and the stolen motorcycle he had given to Mr Meehan and Mr A passed him. He saw the person on the motorcycle with a gun in his hand and heard shots.
"He shot once, then he shot twice. He moved to look in to the car and he fired three consecutive shots. I froze. I went to get out of the van as if I could help. I just stopped. It was like slow motion. I realised then what I was after doing," he said.
Warren said he pulled out and drove off up a slip road and rang Mr A and told him they were after shooting somebody. Mr A said it did not matter and wanted to know if the person was dead. When Warren asked Mr A what would happen to him now, Mr A told him the same thing would happen to him if he said anything about it.
Mr Warren said he pulled up and got physically sick and was shocked. He said from July to September he took large amounts of money out of the country for Mr A.
He said after his arrest in September 1996 Mr Meehan gave him £1,000 to go to London to meet Mr A. He met him in a hotel room and Mr A wanted to know what he had told gardai. Warren said when he walked into the room Mr A said he was going to have to kill him and he should not speak to the police.
The trial continues on Monday.