Guerin case witnesses freed from jail

Two key prosecution witnesses, who appeared in the Veronica Guerin murder trials, have been freed from jail.

Russell Warren and John Dunne, from Dublin, have been released a short time ahead of completing their sentences. Both are to given the option of moving out of Ireland and assuming fresh identities.

Crime journalist Guerin was shot dead at the wheel of her car in Dublin five years ago.

Warren was serving a five-year term for money laundering and Dunne three years for drugs offences.

They gave evidence in the trial that ended last month in the Special Criminal Court of gang leader John Gilligan.

He was cleared on the charge of murdering Ms Guerin, but convicted on a range of drugs and other offences, and jailed for 28 years.

Warren also gave evidence against two other men, Paul Ward and Brian Meehan, who were found guilty of the Guerin murder.