Accused begged DPP to drop case

A WOMAN accused of hiring a hitman to kill her partner and his two sons wrote to the Director of Public Prosecutions asking him to drop the case against her for the good of her family, a jury at the Central Criminal Court has heard.

Sharon Collins, aged 45, with an address at Ballybeg House, Kildysart Road Ennis, and Essam Eid, aged 52, an Egyptian man with a Las Vegas address have pleaded not guilty to conspiring to kill PJ, Robert and Niall Howard between August 1, 2006, and September 26, 2006. Collins also denies hiring Eid to kill the three men.

Eid denies demanding €100,000 from Robert Howard to cancel the contracts. He also denies breaking into the Howard family business at Westgate Business Park and stealing two computers, some computer cables, a digital clock and a poster of old Irish money and then handling the stolen items.