Gardaí let man drive into ambush, court hears

A witness has told a jury that gardaí allowed him "drive into an ambush" of an assembled crowd of up to150 people.

The State witness in the trial of five men accused of killing their cousin at a family funeral said "we were led to the slaughter, into an ambush".

Five men have pleaded not guilty to the murder of Mr Patrick "Deuce" Ward in May 1999 at Carrownanty Cemetery in Ballymote, Co. Sligo.

Mr Michael "Hitler Bumbee" McDonagh snr (aged 58), Mr Martin "Bumbee" McDonagh snr (aged 53), Mr Michael McDonagh jnr (aged 29), Mr Patrick McDonagh (aged 33) and Mr Martin "Spider Bumbee" McDonagh jnr (aged 26) from Hertfordshire in London have all denied the murder of Mr Ward.

Mr "Deuce" Ward, (aged 38), a father of six originally from Galway but resident in Manchester had travelled to Ireland for the funeral of his uncle, also Patrick Ward, in Ballymote, Co. Sligo on May 10 1999 when he was fatally shot in the heart.

The five have also pleaded not guilty to the possession of a firearm with the intent to in danger life. They also have denied the attempted murder of Mr Patrick "Jaws" Ward snr, Mr Patrick "Jaws" Ward jnr and Mr Edward "Ned" Ward on the same occasion.

The accused men also pleaded not guilty to causing violent disorder on the same date.

Under cross examination by Mr Anthony Sammon SC, acting on the behalf of Mr Patrick "Bumbee" McDonagh, Mr "Jaws" Ward jnr told the jury he was initially reluctant to make a statement to gardaí.

"At the time, I didn’t think Patrick was shot dead. I thought he was shot in the leg. If Patrick wasn’t dead I probably wouldn’t be here. I was just glad to get away from the gunmen."

When pressed again by Mr Sammon SC about making a statement to gardaí, Mr "Jaws" Ward jnr said, "more likely I wouldn’t".

"The police was as much to blame as the gunmen at the time, they allowed us go into an ambush," he said.

Defence counsel, Mr Sammon SC suggested to Mr "Jaws" Ward jnr that he was mistaken about the gardaí’s role in the incident.

Mr "Jaws" Ward jnr claims that there were no Garda check points on the Ballymote side to the graveyard which was the direction, he claims, the McDonagh clan drove to the funeral.

"My Uncle, Tom "Joker" Ward said the side he came in by and the side the McDonagh’s came in by had no Garda check point."

On the day of the fatal shooting there had been Garda checkpoints checking all vehicles for weapons.

Mr Sammon suggested to Mr "Jaws" Ward jnr that his account that six gunmen came from out from the crowd of McDonagh’s is "utter manufactured contrivance" and that at no stage there was any regimental line of gunmen. Mr "Jaws" Ward jnr replied saying: "everything I say here is the truth".

"This account is an invention made in order to nail as many sons of Michael and Martin McDonagh snr," Mr Sammon asserted.

"I am just telling the truth as the way it happened," Mr "Jaws" Ward said.

It was suggested to Mr "Jaws" Ward jnr by Mr Sammon SC, that his evidence contained a "great many lies" and that he was "using the court as a means to continue the feud".

"I never went to Ballymote with an intention to kill," Mr "Jaws" Ward said. Mr Sammon SC replied saying, "the whole proper story as you call it, was cooked up by you and your father."

"Me and my father had no feud with the McDonagh’s, we had no reason to lie," Mr "Jaws" Ward jnr said.

The trial continues before Mr Justice Iarfhlaith O’Neill.