Witness in bouncer-shooting case heard 'screaming in his head'

The chief prosecution witness in the trial of four men accused of shooting a Limerick bouncer has told a jury at the Central Criminal Court that that he had flashbacks after the murder and could hear screaming in his head.

James Martin Cahill told Mr Conor Devally SC, defending Gary Campion, that he thought he was going to be killed in prison. Mr Cahill is currently serving a life sentence for the murder of 34-year-old Brian Fitzgerald in November 2002.

Mr Campion (aged 24) of Pineview Gardens, Moyross, Limerick, John (aged 27) and Desmond (aged 23) Dundon both from Ballinacurra Weston, Co Limerick and Clare business man Anthony Kelly (aged 50) with an address at Killrush all plead not guilty to murdering Mr Fitzgerald, on November 29, 2002 at Brookhaven Walk, Mill Road, Corbally, Limerick.

Cahill (aged 33) said he had been afraid of being killed by the officers or by "politicals".

"I was in the cell in Portlaoise and they were talking above me. They were saying the murder victim didn't get a chance."

Cahill said he was hearing screaming and voices in his head and on one occasion threw boiling water on a prison guard because he thought he was going to attack him. In May 2005 he asked to speak to gardaí investigating the murder of Mr Fitzgerald and in November the same year he made a series of statements.

Cahill also started seeing a psychologist in 2005. "I was afraid of seeing the psychologist because I was still getting the screaming. Stuff I had done when I was younger, abuse and stuff."

Cahill said: "I was getting flashbacks. I could see the murder in pictures." He agreed with Mr Devally that he had told the psychologist he often talked to himself.

He said he was very concerned about getting the evidence right but got mixed up with another murder that had been planned. "I was getting everything jumbled up with the screaming and everything."

The trial continues before Mr Justice Peter Charleton and the jury of twelve men at the Central Criminal Court sitting at Cloverhill.