Cork chef 'knew nothing' of €94,000 linked to IRA funding

A Co Cork chef accused of IRA membership took to the stand today and denied all knowledge of a Daz box containing €94,000 found in his backpack.

Giving evidence in the Special Criminal Court, Don Bullman (aged 32), of Fernwood Crescent, Leghanamore, Wilton, Co Cork denied membership of an illegal organisation styling itself the Irish Republican Army, otherwise Oglaigh na hÉireann, otherwise the IRA on February 16, 2005.

Mr Bullman told defence counsel, Mr Conor Devally SC, that he travelled to Dublin from Cork to attend the Catex catering exhibition in the RDS with four other men on February 15.

He said he remained with at least one member of the group at all times until the afternoon of February 16 at Heuston Station when he arranged to meet the Derry men to discuss travel arrangements for an upcoming Celtic match.

He claimed another chef with whom he attended the conference was also intending to meet the men but gardaí stopped them before they had a chance to collect him.

He denied ever having the Daz box in his possession and said he only picked it up off the floor of the car when a garda asked him to hand over the items on the ground.

“It was not in my bag. I didn’t know anything about it,” he said.

Mr Bullman also denied writing "Jerry McCabe: Catering Officer, Garda Club" on a Catex registration form. He claimed one of the other chefs did so.

He said that when he saw the same name written on his badge, he immediately put it in his pocket because it was a "disgrace" and he disagreed with his death.

He denied ever having been a member of the IRA or being involved in moving the proceeds of crime.

He said that because he ran a home and had a family, it wouldn’t be in his "interest to get involved in something like that".

He admitted he had attended Sinn Féin fundraisers and commemorations because he was a supporter of the party, but denied ever having been asked to carry out IRA activities.

He said a text sent from his phone to one of the Derry men on the morning he was arrested which read: “Don’t box that. All I have is a back-sack,” referred to a "glass box on two stainless steel brackets", used for a Celtic player’s last home jersey.

He also claimed a text from his phone instructing someone to "tell them to learn how to count" referred to an upcoming Passage GAA function in which he was involved.

Asked by Mr Devally why his attitude to garda questioning changed during custody he said: “My head was all over the place.”