Getaway driver’s lawyers fail to get access to tapes

Lawyers for the getaway driver in the murder of businessman Roy Collins in 2009 have failed in their preliminary attempt to get further access to taped telephone calls prior to the full hearing of their client’s appeal against conviction.

The Special Criminal Court found that Wayne Dundon, aged 37, of Lenihan Avenue, Prospect, ordered the murder of Mr Collins from prison and Nathan Killeen, aged 26, of Hyde Rd, Prospect, was the driver for the gunman.

Dundon and Killeen had both pleaded not guilty to murdering the 35-year-old father of two. He was shot at Roxboro Rd Shopping Centre on April 9, 2009.

Mr Collins’ father, Steve Collins, was believed to be the intended target of the murder, due to his involvement in a previous successful prosecution against Dundon for a threat to kill.

Following a 29-day trial, Dundon and Killeen were sentenced to life imprisonment on July 15, 2014.

In a preliminary motion before the Court of Appeal yesterday, Mr Justice George Birmingham refused to order further disclosure of phonecalls to and from prosecution witnesses while they were in prison in a three-and-a-half year period prior to the trial.

He said the question of disclosure and whether there were inadequacies in the process would be an issue in the full appeal hearing.