Gardaí deny offering witness money

A claim by an alibi witness in the double murder case that a garda offered him money to give evidence against the accused was rebutted by gardaí yesterday.

Witness Audrias Grigiliunas, aged 45, Ardmoniel Heights, Killorglin, Co Kerry, said on Friday that the h offer was made to him in the home of his girlfriend, Geidra Batiene, at Lynch’s Heights, Killorglin, some weeks after the murders.

At the Central Criminal Court in Tralee yesterday, Detective Garda Michael Healy said he and Sergeant Tim O’Keeffe went to the house on a date between July 20 and July 25, 2013, as they wanted to clarify a discrepancy in a statement with Ms Batiene’s daughter, Eva. He said Mr Grigiliunas came into the room and told them the wrong man had been charged with the murders.