The Revenue official targeted by former Fianna Fáil councillor Gary O'Flynn in a murder plot became so paranoid after learning that O'Flynn was planning to hire a hitman to kill him that he checked under his car to make sure it was safe, Cork Circuit Criminal Court has heard.
O’Flynn has been jailed for three years for soliciting someone to kill a Revenue official, a garda and an accountant.
George Ross told the court how he had trouble sleeping after gardaí informed him of O’Flynn’s plan to hire a hitman to kill him, Garda Mary Skehan and accountant Patrick Sweeney in a bid to stop gardaí investigating him for mortgage fraud.
“I used to fall asleep thinking about what could have happened and I’d wake up with a start still thinking about it. My dreams were consumed with what he had planned. I used to go for long walks to clear my head but still found my mind churning with thoughts I never envisaged having.
“When driving, I found myself checking out my rear view mirrors to see if anyone was following me. I worried for my wife and daughters’ safety. One morning I even checked under the car - that’s how paranoid he made me feel,” Mr said in a victim impact statement.
In the statement, read on his behalf by Det Sgt Denis Lynch, Mr Ross said that he only met O’Flynn once during his duties as an auditor with the Revenue Commissioners on February 1st, 2011 and it was no different from any other meeting he had had over 25 years.
“There was no animosity, no raised voices and it was conducted in the professional manner I always employ in my work. However, because of Mr O’Flynn’s subsequent actions, it was the start of turning my world, and my family’s world, upside down.”
‘What if?’
The statement said that Mr Ross constantly finds himself asking “What if?” in relation to O’Flynn’s plan.
“What if my family were present when the killer called? Would they have been harmed by him? What if, as one of my neighbour’s children said to her father, the killer called to the wrong house - unfortunately something we hear about all too regularly?”
Mr Ross said that having his name broadcast in the media after O’Flynn was charged added to the stress for him and his family and, as a result of O’Flynn’s actions, he had asked to be relieved of his job as an auditor with the Revenue Comissioners.
“Finally, despite all the suffering inflicted by Mr O’Flynn, he has dragged this whole process out, and only recently pleaded guilty. But despite this guilty plea, he has never expressed any remorse for the pain and suffering he has caused.”
'Huge debt of gratitude'
Meanwhile, accountant Patrick Sweeney said he owed An Garda Síochána and the witness who came forward and contacted them a huge debt of gratitude, while he also felt for the other victims in the case.
“We believe the facts of this case speak for themselves in terms of their depravity and cowardice and, as one can appreciate, this case has had an obvious impact on the peace and tranquility of our homestead,” Mr Sweeney said in his statement.
“They say in life ‘What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger’. Our family, over the last two years of this case, has derived great strength in the power of forgiveness. We forgive Mr O’Flynn for putting a price on something priceless, the sanctity of human life.”
Garda Mary Skehan was in court but her victim impact statement was read out by Mr Lynch. Her statement said that O’Flynn’s threat came at the end of a series of unsuccessful attempts to attack her professional standing by making unfounded complaints against her.
“When this failed, he resorted to an attempt at an unwarranted and cowardly attack on my physical person. I made the decision that Gary O’Flynn was not going to intimidate me or put me in fear for my safety. I continued my personal and professional life in my normal manner.
“I did not experience any undue fear in this matter due to a combination of my personal fortitude, my professional training and the full support from my colleagues in An Garda Síochána, including senior management.
“The attempt by Gary O’Flynn to have me physically harmed has not had any impact on my life because I refused to let it impact on my life.”
