Andrew Carey
A MAN who was extradited from Bulgaria is to be sentenced next March for threatening a witness in the trial of two of his brothers.
Vincent Collopy (36) with addresses at Sunny Beach, Bulgaria and St Ita’s Street, St Mary’s Park, appeared before Limerick Circuit Court this week on a charge of threatening, menacing or intimidating Willie Moran on June 9, 2010 at Island Road, Limerick with the intention of causing the course of justice to be obstructed, perverted or interfered with.
The father-of-three was also charged with threatening to kill the then 51-year-old Limerick man on the same date.
Willie Moran was a witness in the trial of Kieran and Damian Collopy, both of St Ita’s Street, St Mary’s Park, Limerick, who were jailed for five years in 2011 for threatening to kill or cause serious harm to him on April 14, 2010.
They alleged that Mr Moran owed up to €5,000 for horses to their late brother Philip, who accidentally shot himself in the head in March 2009.
Vincent Collopy was arrested in Bulgaria on foot of a European arrest warrant issued by the High Court in November 2011.
At Limerick Circuit Court on Tuesday, he pleaded guilty to threatening Mr Moran and Prosecution Counsel John O’Sullivan said a ‘nolle prosequi’ would be entered in the threat to kill charge at the sentencing hearing.
Two weeks after the incident with Willie Moran on Island Road, Vincent Collopy moved to Manchester where he was living for a time before moving to Bulgaria.
The State’s case was based on CCTV footage obtained from the area which corroborated Willie Moran’s evidence.
Mr Moran had been under 24-hour Garda protection, with security arrangements on monthly review by a committee chaired by Chief Superintendent Dave Sheahan of Henry Street Garda station.
Vincent Collopy was remanded on his own bond of €5,000, one-third of which was lodged in court, and an independent surety of €9,000, one-third of which was also lodged.
As part of the bail conditions, he was ordered to live at his home address, sign on daily at Henry Street Garda station, not to have any contact with Willie Moran and to surrender all his travel documents.
Last July, he was refused permission to leave the country and have his passport returned for the purpose of travelling to Morocco with his parents and brothers for a week-long holiday. It was submitted that Mr Collopy’s father was in ill-health and the family wished to travel together.
During Tuesday’s hearing, Judge O’Donnell was told by defence counsel Michael Bowman SC that Vincent Collopy had “significant life changes” given the amount of time that had passed since the offence.
His older brother Brian Collopy was convicted and ultimately sentenced to six years in prison after appeal, for a similar offence.
However Mr Bowman argued that there were “certain factors during the trial that were unique to Brian Collopy”.
He added that his client’s father had since passed away and sought that a probation report be submitted to the court.
Judge O’Donnell adjourned sentencing until March 15 and remanded Vincent Collopy on continuing bail.
