Walsh pleads not guilty to threatening Paul Williams

Mr James Walsh (aged 46) of Mountain View Drive, Churchtown has pleaded not guilty to threatening to kill Mr Paul Williams, crime editor of The Sunday World, on June 25, 2003 and threatening to cause him serious harm later the same day.

Mr Walsh told Mr Pat Russell BL, defence counsel, that he "had no hand, act or part" in any of alleged threatening calls to Mr Williams and said the first time he spoke to him was several days later when Mr Williams rang him on June 27.

He said the "suspect" phone from which the calls were made was not his own and belonged to his former friend, Mr Dean Collins, with whom he had been in business for a period.

He told Mr Russell that he was in his home in Churchtown on the morning of June 25 until 11.40am when he travelled by taxi to Sundrive Road Garda station via the Forthfield area of Terenure.

Mr Walsh said that he arrived at the station at 12midday for an appointment with Detective Sergeant Joe O’Hara which finished a few minutes before 2pm and he then began walking in the direction of a taxi rank at Crumlin hospital.

He said he received a call from a garda, Detective Inspector Brian Sutton, later that afternoon and was speaking on the phone to him during the time the second alleged threat was made. He dismissed as "ridiculous" a suggestion he could have paused the conversation to make the threat to Mr Williams on another phone.

Mr Walsh said he was aware that Mr Williams had been looking for him in relation to an article he was writing but said he had no wish to talk to him as he was in the midst of family law proceedings regarding the custody of his children and feared adverse publicity might effect the outcome of the case.

He said that when he told Det Sgt O’Hara he "would take further action" if material about him was published he meant he was going to contact his solicitor and said he had "had nothing to gain by threatening Paul Williams".

He told Mr Dominic McGinn BL, prosecuting, that he believed there "was a relationship between Paul Williams and Joe O’Hara outside the professional" having seen them in a pub together and he thought Det Sgt O’Hara might be able to influence Mr William’s decision to publish material about him.

He said he first heard of the allegations when he was arrested and charged with the offences in February 2004. He later accepted that he had made a mistake in his evidence and was actually aware of the allegations eight months earlier in June 2003 when he was contacted by Mr Williams.

He told Mr McGinn that on hearing an abusive voice mail message left on Mr William’s phone and analysing phone records during the course of organising his defence he formed an opinion that Mr Collins had made the threatening phone calls.

He said that he believed there was "a certain amount of dissatisfaction" on Mr Collins part after their business was dissolved and he characterised Mr Collins as a "clever man" who "bears grudges". He said was no longer in contact with him because he had "landed me in court and made no effort to explain or apologise".

He said he told a mutual friend, Mr Sean Fitzgerald, that he had been contacted by Mr Williams and believed that was how Mr Collins had the relevant information to "stitch him up".