A Dublin man has been named in a Dutch court as the alleged driver of the motorcycle used in the murder of the journalist Veronica Guerin. But the man, Mr Brian Meehan, told an extradition hearing in Amsterdam he was innocent and would not get a fair trial in Ireland because the media had convicted him.
The Dutch judge, Mr Robert Blekxtoon, read 18 charges listed in the extradition documents. "The major item of the charges is the murder of a journalist in Ireland, allegedly committed on the 26th of June in Clondalkin," he said.
Mr Meehan told the court: "I won't get justice in Ireland because of the newspapers. The way the newspapers have set it out is I'm guilty already." Asked if he was guilty, he replied: "I'm innocent."
"Are you saying you're innocent to all 18 counts?" the judge asked. "Yes," Mr Meehan said.
Asked if he knew Mr John Gilligan, Mr Meehan said he did. His lawyer later told the court that Mr Meehan had the "bad luck to be an old friend" of Mr Gilligan.
Listing the charges, the judge said the first warrant applied to the Guerin murder. The remainder related to the importation of cannabis into Ireland, the possession of drugs with intent to supply and the possession of firearms.
Judge Blekxtoon said Ms Guerin had been shot by the pillion passenger on a motorcycle. "Six shots were fired at her and she died almost immediately."
The motorcycle was then driven away at speed. He said Mr Meehan was accused of being "one of the persons who conspired" in the murder, and that he had "assisted in this murder by being the driver of this motorcycle."
Mr Meehan is also accused of involvement in 96 shipments of cannabis from the Netherlands to Ireland between July 1994 and October 1996. Each shipment was an average of 200kg, making the total amount shipped more than 19 tonnes. The weapons were allegedly imported with the drugs.
The judge said the charges Mr Meehan faced carried sentences of not less than 10 years and two carried life sentences in Irish law.
Mr Meehan was being accused of being "one of the persons involved in a criminal organisation", the judge said.
Asked if he was aware that Mr John Gilligan faced the same 18 counts, Mr Meehan said he was. He was then asked if it would be possible to prove his innocence in a Dutch court.
Mr Meehan said he had given gardai an alibi. He told the court that gardai had threatened his father to withdraw the alibi. Asked what his father would say in court, he said: "My father would say what I'm just after saying."
The judge said he assumed Mr Meehan's father would not be able to provide an alibi for all the alleged offences.
"Who would be able to give me an alibi between these dates because the dates are too vague. I can't remember where I was on those dates," Mr Meehan said.
In a submission lasting almost 40 minutes Mr Meehan's lawyer, Mr Alexander van der Waal, said the media had acted as prosecutor and judge on his client because Veronica Guerin was a colleague. The media had treated him as the murderer, rather than a suspect. Mr Meehan had left Ireland because of pressure from the media, he said.
Mr van der Waal asked the court to hear evidence from two other alibi witnesses, named as Mr Peter Mitchell and Mr Richard Donnelly. Mr van der Waal read headlines from Irish newspapers and said his client's name had not emerged as a suspect until after the arrest of Mr Charles Bowden.
Mr van der Waal argued that the Dutch court should not rule on Mr Meehan's extradition until the Irish Special Criminal Court had ruled on a case in which evidence from Mr Charles Bowden was being used. He said the charges were too vague for extradition purposes.
The Dutch prosecutor, Mr Diederik Aben, said no further evidence was needed from the Garda. The extradition request was legitimate and legal, he said, and there was nothing in law that could prevent it. Mr Aben said it was ridiculous to suggest that Mr Meehan would not get a fair trial as the Irish justice system was not ruled by what appeared in newspapers.
The judge rejected Mr van der Waal's application to hear other alibi witnesses. He also refused to wait until the Special Criminal Court rules on the case involving Mr Eugene Holland. "Whatever decision the court would take in that case would not influence your case."
He ruled that Mr Meehan should remain in detention. The court will make its ruling on December 9th.
Mr Meehan is being held in Vught Prison, a high-security prison about 100km south of Amsterdam.
If the three-judge court led by Judge Blekxtoon decides to extradite Mr Meehan he can appeal the decision to the Supreme Court in The Hague. The defendant can then appeal any decision to the Dutch Minister for Justice within three months of any Supreme Court ruling.
