Witness denies being approached to commit murder

The chief prosecution witness in the trial of four men accused of shooting a Limerick bouncer has denied that the man he had claimed asked him to shoot the bouncer approached him to commit the murder.

James Martin Cahill told Mr Barry McDonnell QC defending Mr John Dundon that the man, who is referred to as Mr "A" for legal reasons had not asked him to shoot 34-year-old Brian Fitzgerald.

Mr Cahill is currently serving a life sentence for the murder of 34-year-old Brian Fitzgerald in November 2002.

Gary 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), agreed with Mr McDonnell that he had shared a cell with an individual and had close association with another person who was "no friend of the Dundons".

He also agreed that there had been an allegation that he stalked a brother of John and Desmond Dundon but denied that he had been hired to kill him. He denied that he had been asked to shoot Mr Fitzgerald to "atone" for this.

Earlier today he told Mr Roger Sweetman SC, defending Desmond Dundon, that he had walked past Doc's nightclub with both Dundon brothers on Tuesday November 26, two days earlier than he had told gardaí and mentioned in earlier evidence.

He told Mr McDonnell that he was certain this had happened on the 26 and he had a gun with him on this occasion to shoot Mr Fitzgerald if the opportunity arose.

However, Mr McDonnell told him earlier evidence from Mr Fitzgerald's widow proved that Mr Fitzpatrick had not been working on the night of the 26.

Mr Michael O'Higgins SC, defending Anthony Kelly asked him about the gun he said he had on the 26. Cahill said he had got the gun from a man outside a garage beside a pub.

It had a silencer on. He said he did not know about a meeting between Mr B (who cannot be named for legal reasons) and a man with who Cahill had committed two jewellery store robberies.

He said he was not confusing this meeting with the meeting where he had been given the gun. He denied that he had told gardaí he had been with Mr B all that evening and said Mr B had gone out for a while.

Cahill agreed with Mr McDonnell that he had told a psychologist that he was hoping for a new life in Australia through the witness protection scheme if he testified. "Where I can be safe". Mr McDonnell told him he had also told the psychologist that he intended to negotiate for a shorter sentence.

He said she had noted Cahill sought to please "people who are regarded as having power and influence".

Cahill admitted that he had abused at least six children in Ireland and the UK including one 9-month-old baby.

He told the jury that he had always told the truth and that he had told gardaí earlier this year about abusing children and had named names. However, Mr Sweetman told him gardaí had told the court in the absence of the jury that Cahill had spoken of the abuse in such vague terms that they were under the impression that Cahill had been abused himself.

Cahill said he heard screaming in his head that sounded like his victims and it only stopped when he told the truth. He was afraid of being killed in prison and had previously said he had been threatened by John Gilligan and Patrick "Dutchy" Holland although he said today this was not true but was what the voices told him to say.

He agreed with Mr Sweetman that he had refused to leave his cell to meet a consultant psychiatrist from the Central Mental Institution. The interview was conducted with the psychiatrist standing in the door of Cahill's cell. Cahill was naked, wrapped in a blanket and sitting on a plastic blue mattress on the floor.

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