Witness protection costs soared to €1.2m last year

The rate of government spend on the State’s witness protection programme last year increased to €1.21m —double the spend of the preceding two years.

The programme was established by the State in the wake of the murder of journalist Veronica Guerin in 1996, and a state witness against four members of the John Gilligan drugs gang, Charlie Bowden, was the first to be admitted to the programme on his release from prison.

More recently, Steve Collins, the father of innocent gangland murder victim, Roy Collins, and his family moved abroad with the help of the State after it purchased properties owned by Mr Collins in Limerick to allow the family start a new life.