Andrew Carey at Special Criminal Court
A MURDER trial has heard that a former McCarthy Dundon gang member was asked to be a getaway driver for a man who would “whack” Limerick businessman Steve Collins at his pub in the city over five years ago.
31 year old Gareth Keogh Collins told the court that he was approached by one of the accused men, 24-year-old Nathan Killeen and asked if he was interested in driving a car and he would get paid €20,000.
In his evidence at the special criminal court this Monday, Gareth Collins said that he was handed a phone by Killeen and Wayne Dundon was on the line enquiring how he was and if he was working.
Collins said that he was asked to drive Nathan up the road to the steering wheel pub and Nathan would go in and “whack Steve the father”, then he would drive Nathan back. It would be a “two minute job”, he was told.
The three judge non jury court heard that the 31-year-old, who has 12 months of a seven and half year prison sentence left to serve, told Dundon that he didn’t want to have anything to do with it.
Dundon, Collins said, snapped in his prison cell at Wheatfields where he was on the mobile phone, and threatened him to do the job. Collins said he didn’t want to have anything to do with it and have back the phone to Killeen.
In his continued evidence, Gareth Collins said how he first met Wayne Dundon in Cork Prison when the two were sharing a double cell together.
Collins was serving a five years sentence for possession of a gun and Dundon on remand for threatening to kill members of Steve Collins’ family.
The 31-year-old said that on the day Dundon was sentenced to ten years for the threats, the feared gangland figure cried in his cell as he spoke to his wife Ann Casey on the phone.
Collins said that Dundon said he vowed to his wife that he wouldn’t let Steve Collins and his family get away with this.
Michael O’Higgins SC for the State said that this went to the “motive of Wayne Dundon”.
Gareth Collins, in his evidence, gave further details of conversations with the accused men in the lead up to the murder and as to sightings of Nathan Killeen and James Dillon in the immediate aftermath.
Remy Farrell SC and counsel for Wayne Dundon spent the remainder of this Monday afternoon dissecting and attempting to discredit the evidence of Collins whom he said was lying.
Earlier, Steve Collins gave evidence of finding his son bent over on his hands and knees after being shot.
He told the court that his son remained conscious but was in severe pain and found it hard to breath. Roy Collins said he didn’t know who shot him.
Gardai and emergency medical staff also gave evidence of finding and treating Roy Collins before he lost consciousness and died later in hospital.
The case continues before the three female judges with Ms Justice Iseult O’Malley presiding.
Full coverage of the trial in this week’s Limerick Post.
