Firearms accused continues to represent himself

A heroin user has denied giving guns to a Dublin man on trial for firearms offences claiming he never met the accused until the trial began.

In the Central Criminal Court today Mr Michael Horan, Athlone, told the jury he falsely implicated the accused, Mark Desmond, just to get out of the garda station.

Cross examined by Mark Desmond, representing himself, the witness said he signed a statement that implicated the accused in firearms stolen in Athlone.

But, he claimed, the gardai "made it all up" and he just signed his name.

Mr Desmond asked the witness if he had told gardai during questioning that he did not know Mark Desmond.

"One hundred times" the witness replied. "I didn't care what statement I was signing. I just wanted to get out of the barracks."

Mr Desmond then suggested to the witness that he "went along with everything just to get out".

"Yeah," replied Mr Horan. He told the court he was on "gear" [heroin] and he needed to get out of the garda station.

"You never gave any firearms to Mark Desmond?" Mr Desmond asked.

"No."

"Did you give guns to somebody else and then put me in their position?"

"No," the witness replied, adding that he never had any guns.

"Whatever they wanted to write down I signed it and that was it."

Another witness, Mr James Gaffey, from Athlone, also denied knowing the accused.

"I don't know Mark Desmond from Adam," he told prosecuting counsel Mr Patrick Gageby SC.

The witness said he did not know anything about the firearms in question. He said he heard in the garda station that the investigation was linked to the "Canal murders".

Cross examined by the accused, he claimed he lied to the gardai "to get out of the barracks".

Mark Desmond (27) formerly of Lally Road, Ballyfermot, Dublin, has pleaded not guilty to unlawful possession of three shotguns, one long rifle and one 12 gauge shotgun cartridge with intent to endanger life at Lally Road, Ballyfermot between 1 October 1999 and 17 February 2000.

The trial continues tomorrow.