Thomas O’Neill has denied threatening to kill Liam Casey Snr last year in Limerick
THE father of a convicted gunman has denied he is “stitching up” a man accused of threatening to shoot him dead because of bad blood between their families.
Liam Casey Snr, (52) of Hyde Road, Limerick was giving evidence against Thomas O’Neill, (28) of Lenihan Avenue, Prospect, who has denied threatening to kill him on November 15 last year.
Mr Casey, whose son is convicted gunman Liam ‘Lika’ Casey, refused to answer questions about his family when defence barrister Brian McInerney pressed him on accusations he made against Mr O’Neill.
He said that while he was sitting in his car outside his daughter’s house on Byrne Avenue, Prospect, Thomas O’Neill walked by and told him: “You’re going to get fixed tonight, I’m going to shoot you dead”.
He tried to flash a passing unmarked detective garda car with his car head lights as O’Neill walked off, but the Gardai failed to stop. He then called for his 13-year-old granddaughter to return to his car and drove to Roxboro Garda Station to make a statement of complaint.
In a series of robust exchanges, Mr Casey denied he was “trying to cut the knees off the accused” or that he would like to “see Thomas O’Neill burn in hell”, when Mr McInerney said his story was based on a few “well rehearsed lies”.
He denied that the alleged threats made by O’Neill were connected to any “mistakes” his sons made in the past.
When asked about his son, Liam “Lika” Casey’s conviction for having a gun in suspicious circumstances, he replied: “I’m not here to talk about any of sons, I am here to tell you what happened to me. I have a job to do to protect my family.
Liam Casey was jailed for seven years in 2010 after he shot a man over a €200 debt. He has a number of previous convictions including another firearms offence.
Mr Casey Snr said that his daughter’s house was burnt down two weeks before last Christmas and she was “in fear of her life as a result and that’s what we have had to put up with”.
The case continues before Judge Tom O’Donnell at Limerick Circuit Court.
