A COURT may have ruled Patrick ‘Dutchy’ Holland is now allowed to speak to the media — but he has already given a series of interviews to the Irish Examiner.

Drugs baron John Gilligan today won the right to appeal his conviction on two points of law in the Supreme Court.

VIDEOTAPING witnesses’ depositions before a suspect is returned for trial or even charged should be considered to prevent cases collapsing due to claims of amnesia or intimidation, the Bar Council argued yesterday.

A CONVICTED drug dealer, named as the killer of Veronica Guerin, has admitted earning up to €1,000 by giving legal advice to fellow inmates in the State’s most high secure prison.

PATRICK ‘Dutchy’ Holland can hardly expect much public sympathy for his plight. An armed robber, who also served a sentence on an explosive’s charge, he is now serving 12 years for drug-dealing.

THERE were calls yesterday for the State witness protection programme to be put on a statutory basis.

THE Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) is to sell off multi-million euro properties belonging to crime boss John Gilligan.

The brother of murdered journalist Veronica Guerin said today he was happy that the man cleared of killing her was still behind bars after failing to overturn a drugs conviction.

Having lost an appeal against his conviction, John Gilligan is to appeal the length of his sentence for drugs offences.

Drugs baron John Gilligan is due to hear the result of an appeal against his 28-year sentence for drug offences today.

TAXPAYERS forked out close to €500,000 last year to relocate supergrasses who gave State evidence to convict criminal accomplices.

Doubts arose tonight over evidence presented by State-protected witnesses in key courtroom trials after the overturning of a guilty verdict against one of two men jailed for the 1996 murder of investigative journalist Veronica Guerin.

The Court of Criminal Appeal is due to deliver its judgement today on the appeal of Paul Ward against his conviction for the murder of journalist, Veronica Guerin.

The State's attempt to confiscate the assets of convicted drug dealer John Gilligan rests on the evidence of Assistant Garda Commissioner, Tony Hickey, the Special Criminal Court heard today. Mr Gilligan briefly interrupted the proceedings from the dock to tell the court he has "no money".

The Special Criminal Court was told today that two former protected witnesses are outside the jurisdiction and unavailable to give evidence at the hearing of an application to confiscate assets of a convicted drugs dealer.

The supergrass whose evidence helped jail four members of the Dublin drugs gang that killed journalist Veronica Guerin has started a new life out of prison, it emerged today.

John Gilligan was found guilty on 11 counts of arranging the importation of cannabis resin between 1994 and 1996.

The defence lawyer for John Gilligan told the Special Criminal Court today that protected witness Charles Bowden lied to the gardai and in the witness box.

Protected witness Charles Bowden has admitted the murder of Veronica Guerin was not the only shooting he was involved in.

The Special Criminal Court has been told that State supergrass Charles Bowden was returned some of his drugs money by gardai after he made statements against the alleged killers of Veronica Guerin.

State supergrass Charles Bowden has told the Special Criminal Court that he absconded from the State because he feared he was about to be charged with the murder of Veronica Guerin.

State supergrass Charles Bowden has told the Special Criminal Court that he gave no thought to Veronica Guerin as he loaded the murder weapon which was later used to kill her.

A third State supergrass, Charles Bowden, has been giving evidence to the Special Criminal Court this afternoon about the Veronica Guerin murder in 1996.

A third state supergrass, Charles Bowden, has taken the witness stand in the Special Criminal Court to give evidence against John Gilligan.

State supergrass John Dunne has told the Special Criminal Court about a war waged by those on the Witness Protection Programme against the Department of Justice.

The trial of John Gilligan has heard that State supergrass Charles Bowden agreed to turn State evidence regardless of whether or not he was charged with the murder of Veronica Guerin.

Lawyers for John Gilligan have told the Special Criminal Court that state supergrass Charles Bowden was given favourable treatment by gardai, once he agreed to give evidence against the suspected killers of Veronica Guerin.