Girlfriend of shooting victim tells murder trial ‘he fell in front of me’

A WOMAN who witnessed her boyfriend’s killing in front of his children told the Central Criminal Court that he “fell in front of me”.

Keith Wilson, aged 23, of Cremona Road, Ballyfermot, Dublin, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Daniel Gaynor at St Helena’s Road in Finglas on August 14, 2010.

He also pleaded not guilty to possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life.

“Daniel fell in front of me,” said Sarah Treacy, who was going out with Mr Gaynor “for two years to the day” of the attack.

Ms Treacy, who was living with Mr Gaynor, said they were walking with his two children toward their aunt’s house to drop them off there. She said she saw a silver gun with a barrel on it and “thought it was someone messing”.

“Daniel tried to turn his head to the left,” said Ms Treacy, who added she did not know how many shots there were, as she was “deafened”.

“I just heard a ringing in my ear,” she told the court.

She said she “could just see a pair of eyes” but saw the person was wearing a peaked cap, a white glove “like a magician’s glove” and a gun.

Ms Treacy said she saw a person of slim build between 5ft 8in and 5ft 11in “running towards the Den”.

She said she went over to where Mr Gaynor was shot and tried to get her mobile phone to ring the emergency services. He was taken to hospital and after 20 minutes to half an hour her boyfriend had died, she told the court.

Deputy state pathologist Dr Khalid Jabbar said there was a single gunshot wound to the left side of the neck behind the left ear, that there was damage to the brain stem and to the upper part of the spine. He also said he recovered a bullet during the examination.

Dr Jabbar said the cause of death was a single penetrating gunshot wound to the neck. He said this type of injury was fatal and “death is almost instantaneous in these situations”.

The trial resumes tomorrow before a jury and Mr Justice Garrett Sheehan.