Man denies intimidating victim of attempted murder

The trial of a man accused of intimidating a victim of attempted murder and trying to persuade him not to give evidence at the trial of his attacker has opened at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

Mr Akef Alquasar, who is now in the witness protection program, was shot in the head by Darren Larkin (aged 24) at the Blanchardstown Leisureplex two years ago.

Larkin was sentenced to life imprisonment for attempted murder last May after a trial in which Mr Alquasar was the main State witness.

David Goulding (aged 30), of Whitechapel Grove, Clonsilla has pleaded not guilty to intimidating Mr Alquasar and attempting to persuade him not to give evidence between May 1 and August 19 2006.

Mr Remy Farrell BL, prosecuting, in opening the case, said that Mr Alquasar had been working in Blanchardstown Leisureplex on February 20, 2006 when Larkin entered carrying a sawn-off shotgun and fired two shots at him, one of which hit him on the side of the head.

Mr Alquasar survived and made a statement to gardaí leading to Larkin's conviction for attempted murder at the Central Criminal Court in April 2007.

Mr Farrell said it was the prosecution's case that during the summer of 2006 while Mr Alquasar was recovering from his injuries, he came under pressure from brothers David and Daniel Goulding, whom he had known for more than 10 years, to withdraw his statement against Larkin and tell gardaí it was wrong.

Mr Farrell said Mr Alquasar had left his family home at this stage and was told if he retracted his statement he would be able to go home.

The prosecution alleged that on one occasion Daniel Goulding told Mr Alquasar on the phone he would "blow his head off, fire an RPG (rocket-propelled grenade) into his house and cut up his son."

Mr Farrell said that later, David Goulding the accused, allegedly apologised about his brother's behaviour in another phone call to Mr Alquasar and said he should talk to him in the future instead of his brother.

Mr Farrell told the jury that what David Goulding said was backed up by an implicit threat that unless he withdrew the statement he would not be able to go home.

Detective Inspector Bernard Sherry, now retired, told Mr Farrell that Larkin had been held in custody after being charged for the shooting but at some point before his trial he had applied for bail.

He said Mr Alquasar had given evidence at the bail hearing and bail had been refused. Mr Alquasar had also been the main prosecution witness during Larkin's trial in April 2007.

Det Insp Sherry told defence counsel Mr Breffni Gordon BL (with Mr Conor Devally SC), that Mr Alquasar had gone into the witness protection program "provisionally" in August 2006 and "fully" at the end of November 2006.

Security arrangements had been put in place by gardaí for Mr Alquasar immediately after the shooting and he left Dublin in April 2006 for two months to live with his family in Westmeath.

Det Insp Sherry agreed with Mr Gordon that Mr Alquasar had come to garda attention on a number of occasions for minor offences, but said he was not aware if his house had been searched for firearms or drugs.

He said during his time in Blanchardstown from 2002 to 2007 there were 19 murders and 150 shootings.

Det Insp Sherry said he was aware of an incident more than 10 years ago where Mr Alquasar had fired a legally held shotgun at a "joyrider" in a situation where he and his pregnant wife had been "terrorised".

He said Mr Alquasar had volunteered this information to gardaí and no charges had arisen from it.

The trial continues before Judge Patrick McCartan and a jury of four women and eight men.