CONVICTED #Limerick killer Nathan Killeen has failed in a bid to get further access to recordings of telephone calls from prosecution witnesses as part of his appeal for the murder of Limerick businessman Roy Collins.
Lawyers for Nathan Killeen (26) sought to obtain the recordings of calls made during a three-and-a-half year period prior to the commencement of his murder trial.
Killeen, who was convicted of murder, after he acted as the getaway driver for the gunman, was sentenced to the life after he was found guilty at the three judge non-jury Special Criminal Court.
Roy Collins was shot in the chest while running Coin Castle Amusements at Roxboro Road Shopping Centre on April 9, 2009.
Mr Collins’ father, Steve Collins, was believed to be the intended target of the murder, because of his involvement in the successful prosecution of Limerick criminal Wayne Dundon on a charge of threatening to kill.
Following a 29-day trial at the Special Criminal Court, Killeen was found guilty of murder on July 15, 2014.
In a preliminary motion before the Court of Appeal, Mr Justice George Birmingham refused to order further disclosure of telephone calls to and from prosecution witnesses while they were in prison in a three-and-a-half year period prior to the commencement of the trial.
He said the question of disclosure and whether or not there were any inadequacies in the process would be an issue in the full appeal hearing.
Counsel for Killeen, Giollaíosa Ó Lideadha SC, said the Special Criminal Court had ordered limited disclosure of calls – relevant to specific events – and the recorded calls contained “explosive material”.
It was argued that the telephone recordings undermined the credibility of the prosecution witnesses and showed that the witnesses were “colluding to produce” the result of life imprisonment, he said.
The motion was opposed by the State.
Refusing the motion, Mr Justice Birmingham, who sat with Mr Justice Garrett Sheehan and Mr Justice John Edwards, said it would not be an appropriate course of action to make the order sought at this stage.
