The Clare People Archive

MICHAEL Dillon told the trial that he felt ‘fine’ driving on the day of the accident and rejected suggestions that he had fallen asleep at the wheel.

The father-of-two, a fitter based in Connemara, had travelled to Port- magee in Kerry the day before the accident to join his colleagues from Galway Scuba Diving Club.

He had got up at 5am and left his Inverin home at 5.30am to drive to Portmagee. He arrived there at

9.30am and did two dives off Val- entia that day. He later went out for dinner and had four or five pints of Heineken. He said he remained in the pub until around lam and then went back to a house that was rented by some members of the sub aqua club.

There, he was handed a bottle of beer but only drank a mouthful and fell asleep. He was awakened at 2.30am and went to the hostel where he was staying. He went to bed and slept until 9am when a phone call from his wife woke him. He went

back to sleep until 10am and af- ter getting up, he was between two minds whether to stay in Kerry for another day.

He eventually decided to drive home and left at around llam. He said he got a headache about 40 minutes into the drive and pulled over and took paracetamol and a drink. He contin- ued on with his journey and said the headache went away, but said he did not remember anything after passing Bunratty. “Nothing, ‘til after the ac- cident,” he told the court.

He said after the accident, he re- membered “sitting in the jeep. The windscreen was broken and the bon- net was on the windscreen.” He said he had no memory of seeing the two cyclists and had no memory of his jeep veering off and leaving the dual OF NU UTE

He said he learned that Mr Flan- nery had died when he arrived at his Inverin home later that evening.

He told the trial he had several medical examinations carried out in the aftermath of the accident, in

an effort to ascertain what had hap- pened to him, but no explanation emerged. He said he did not drive for 10 months after the accident and did not dive until April of this year.

Under —_cross-examination _—_—by Stephen Coughlan, for the prosecu- tion, Mr Dillon said he felt “fine” while in Kerry. Asked could he have fallen asleep while driving, he said, “No. I felt comfortable driving.” He denied that his jeep had left the road as a result of falling asleep. “I didn’t feel tired or anything,” he said.

THE trial relating to the accident that claimed the life of father-of-four Howard Flannery was “a case of tragedy heaped upon tragedy” with a lot of emotion, according to the state prosecutor.

In his closing speech to the jury, Stephen Coughlan, BL, said the 1s- sue was “what caused the accused to veer off the road onto the hard shoul- der and onto the grass and strike Mr wtlioa wae

“There was nothing remarkable about his driving, until he began to

veer off the road. Dangerous driving is caused by negligence. If you are satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that the accused drove dangerously, you must convict. If you decide he didn’t, you must acquit. Simple as that,’ he said.

“Nobody gets into a motor car intending to kill anybody, be it a motorist, a pedestrian or a cyclist, but dangerous driving is caused by negligence,” he told the jury of eight women and four men.

He said that Michael Dillon had put in a long, strenuous, 22-hour day the day before the accident and was tired.

He noted that medical examinations carried out on the accused after the accident concluded that the accident was “an unexplained event.”

‘The State is asking you to draw an inference that this unexplained event was caused by the fatigue which the accused was labouring under,’ he said. He said that Mr Dillon had been a tired driver and was slow to react.

However, in his closing speech last Thursday, Anthony Sammon, SC, for Michael Dillon, said the State’s in- ference that fatigue had been a factor was “slightly over-egging the pud- ding.” He said at no stage had it been

put to the accused by gardai that he had fallen asleep.

“Tt has been conjured up during this case. It wasn’t even told to you in the Opening (speech to the jury). The word ‘sleep’ wasn’t even mentioned in the opening,” he said.

“This is a difficult case because of the horror of a decent man, Mr Flannery, losing his life. The horrific consequences of that on his family, colossal. The pressures on my client and his family, colossal,” he said.

“Confronted by the emotional cliff face that hangs it all, you must not lose sight or develop any blindness

because of emotion,’ he urged the jury.

Judge Gerard Griffin told the jury it was important to note that the first mention of fatigue in the pros- ecution’s case had been during the cross-examination of Mr Dillon by Mr Coughlan. “It will be a matter for you which of the prosecution evi- dence you regard,’ the judge told the ury.

He told the jury if they found that the driving was careless rather than dangerous, it was open to them to find the accused guilty of careless driving.

SHARON Collins told her psycholo- gist she did not commit the offences of which she was convicted, during a meeting with him just weeks ago.

Clinical psychologist Brian Glan- ville carried out a pscyhometric eval- uation of Sharon Collins’ personal- ity, having met her on September 4 and 22 last, at the women’s prison in Mountjoy.

He concluded that her personality

style appeared to be that of a passive, detached but dependent personality.

He said that she suffers from high levels of anxiety and depression and will find her prison term particularly difficult.

‘A personality like that is likely to find themselves in conflict,” he said. He said this type of personality would have a strong need for emotional sup- port, but would feel swamped in re- lationships.

He said that Collins had high levels

of anxiety and depression.

“She would have particular difficul- ties with lengthy prison sentences. She is going to find herself in a situa- tion where she would have very little in common with the other inmates,” he noted.

He said that Collins was of the view that she had been subjected to unwel- come media attention and felt under “adverse media pressure”.

He said she was particularly con- cerned that a conversation she had

with PJ Howard, during a visit to her at Mountjoy jail, had been leaked to the media.

He said she may become more withdrawn and isolated, in the sur- roundings of the prison. “That could have quite serious consequences for her,” he said.

Una Ni Raifeartaigh, BL for the prosecution, asked him did Collins suffer from any psychiatric illness and he said she did not.

Mr Glanville said Collins had ex-

pressed concerns for her sons but when asked had she expressed simi- lar concern for her mother, he said he did not recall for sure.

Asked had she been concerned about the Howards, he said, “I don’t have any recollection about that.”

Ms Ni Raifeartaigh asked had Col- lins expressed remorse for her ac- tions.

He replied, “I understand she says she didn’t commit the offences. It doesn’t arise.”

SHARON Collins was a wonderful mother to her two sons, who have both been badly affected by the high-profiled case, according to her former husband.

Noel Collins took to the witness stand to give a character reference for the mother of his two sons.

He explained how they had got married in 1983, when Collins was just 19.

They had two sons together, Gary

(25) and David (22), but the marriage did not work out and they separated in 1989. They were annulled two years later.

He said that they endured a tough few years together.

“The eighties was a tough time for

most people, albeit something similar that is happening now. There was a recession. Things evolved over time. It didn’t work out. We got separated,’ said Noel Collins.

He said that while she was granted custody of their sons, she never re-

stricted his access to them. “I could have had access any time I wanted,’ he said.

“Sharon always has been a great mother to the boys, very supportive. She put the boys first,” he said.

He said that both sons have been mentally and physically affected by the event and both have now moved to live with him in Dublin. David had to take a very tough decision to leave his job in Ennis to move to Dublin during the summer.

“It has had a massive effect on my- self and on Sharon’s mother. She’s a shadow of her former self. She’s on God knows how much medication. She used to be the life and soul. She used to love to dance. She doesn’t go out any more,” he said.

Written character references were handed in to the court from the Bishop of Killaloe Dr Willie Walsh, the Mayor of Ennis Councillor Pe- ter Considine, the deputy governor of Mountjoy women’s prison — who described her as a model prisoner — along with fromer friends of Collins.

Bishop Walsh said that while he did not want to interfere with the crimi- nal justice system, he did not believe that a lengthy prison sentence would be in line with the common good or would serve restorative justice.

He described Collins as an open, truthful and caring person and he was unable to make sense of the enormous event that had happened.

PJ HOWARD appealed to the judge not to send Sharon Collins to jail and he refuted allegations made against him during the course of the trial.

The 59-year-old staunchly defended his partner and said he will not give up on her. He pleaded for leniency for the woman he described as ‘car- ing, loving and decent’.

In a victim impact statement deliv- ered to the court yesterday, he said he would have no hesitation in liv- ing with her again and said she was one of the nicest people he was lucky enough to have met.

He started by addressing the alle- gations made against him during the trial, in a letter emailed by Collins to

the Gerry Ryan show on RTE 2FM. In that letter, only part of which was retrieved, Collins had claimed he used prostitutes and transvestites and had encouraged her to engage in strange sex. For the first time yester- day, he publicly rejected those alle- gations.

“I would like to take this opportu- nity to refute the allegations made against me in the court case and I wish to deny any and all of those al- legations.

‘IT have never seen nor was I told by gardai about an email that was supposedly sent to the Gerry Ryan Show,” he stated.

He then spoke of his relationship with, and devotion to, Collins.

“IT have known Sharon Collins for

approximately nine years. During that time she had made a good home for us all and we were extremely happy together and got on very well. Sharon has a positive outlook on life and she was very loving and giving of her time to our extended families. Sharon always kept an even keel and I have never known her to do any- thing drastic over those years. She is a very straightforward and honest person and if she wanted anything She would ask,” he said.

“Sharon is, in my opinion, one of the nicest people you could ever have been fortunate to know. She is a car- ing, loving and decent lady,” said PJ Howard.

He said the whole event has been emotional and stressful for him per-

sonally. “I will not give up on Sharon and would have no hesitation what- soever in living with her again,” he added.

Reading from his statement, the multi-millionaire asked Mr Justice Roderick Murphy to consider Shar- on’s redeeming qualities and asked him to be lenient in imposing sen- tence.

“IT am asking the court not to im- pose a custodial sentence as I do not believe that Sharon poses any threat to my sons.

“T ask the court to consider how a prison sentence would affect her mother, her two sons and myself,’ he said.

Oe Witwer TRO.CecOnOMMcsKen IRIN MSIRE ation for me and the prospect of Sha-

ron being in prison for a long time 1s adding to this stress,” he said.

He said he did not accept a submis- sion from the State at a bail hearing – after his partner was charged last year – that he was in fear of his life.

“IT am not in any way in fear of Sharon. I have always made this per- fectly clear to the gardai that I was never in fear of Sharon either before and again after the guilty verdict,’ he CrHOe

He said that while his sons Robert and Niall had been asked for victim impact statements by the gardai, he was not.

“At no stage was that courtesy ex- tended to me even though they have my telephone numbers and I am im- mediately contactable,” he said.

GREED, deceit, callousness, dishon- esty, arrogance and manipulation were at the centre of Sharon Collins’ desires to have the Howards mur- dered.

The divorced mother-of-two had known PJ Howard to see since she was an innocent young girl grow- ing up in the town of Ennis. PJ was a wealthy businessman and she was an ambitious young girl.

Tragically, her ultimate ambitions ran too deep and inspired her to piece together a devious and cunning plan to have PJ murdered. Collins (45) enjoyed good times with PJ Howard – a lavish lifestyle, a loving partner and secure employment. But she was overcome by greed and she wanted everything – PJ’s millions. She had grown up in a modest background in Ennis and having tasted the high life, she wanted more.

She believed she was invincible and was of the view that the uncanny way in which she operated her plan would not backfire. Before going online and searching for an assassin, Collins had compiled a list of targets. PJ was target number one, but that was not the end of it. She believed that she

would not be able to get her hands on PJ’s wealth unless his sons Rob- ert (29) and Niall (25) were also out of the equation. A fourth target was also considered but this was not pro- ceeded with.

With her plan hatched, she coolly went online and sought to hire a hit- man. She came upon the ‘hitman- forhire’ website and went about her eevee

She set up the email address lyingeyes98@yahoo.ie for the pur- pose of hiring a hitman. The email address in itself has much relevance to her relationship with PJ Howard – they became an item in 1998; that was also the year his partner died; while the ‘lying eyes’ song by The Eagles was penned about a rich old man falling for a beautiful young woman before she cheated on him.

Collins was brazen and this was highlighted by the fact that some of the emails to ‘hitman’ were sent from a computer in the Downes and Howard office, where PJ had em- ployed her as a part-time secretary.

Over dozens of emails, Collins described in detail to ‘hitman’ the background as to why she wanted to wipe out the Howards. She wanted to inherit PJ’s money and she was intent

on doing this. The level of detail con- tained in the emails was remarkable. They indicated her deep desire to en- sure her plan was carried out.

In those emails, she coldly dis- cussed methods of killing the Howards – the possibility that Robert and Niall would die in an accident or be poisoned and PJ would be thrown from his 14th floor apartment in Spain in an apparent ‘suicide’ were mentioned.

Her intent was clear when she sent a down payment of €15,000 via FedEx in Shannon to the home of the man she was hiring.

‘Hitman’ was ordered to ensure the computers from the Downes and Howard office disappeared, so that incriminating evidence would not be available, if her actions were ever 1n- vestigated.

However, for all her devious plan- ning, Collins did not anticipate that ‘hitman’ would make the move to contact one of the targets, which ulti- mately led to her plan backfiring. Es- sam Eid (53) could not contact her on the evening of September 26, 2006, and instead decided to ring Robert Howard and attempt to buy out the contract. The web had become entan- gled and while gardai were not aware

of her involvement at this stage, as the story unravelled, Collins’ name aslo exer

She was arrested in February 2007 and questioned. She maintained her innocence and concocted a story about being set up due to her associa- tion with a mysterious American au- thor called Maria Marconi. In three detailed letters to the DPP – written in March, April and May 2007 – she pleaded that she not be charged, sug- gesting that if charges were brought it would have an adverse effect on her family and on PJ Howard.

But a huge volume of evidence had been collected. Gardai had got their hands on the computers at the cen- tre of the case and crucial email evi- dence had been uncovered. Collins was in the spotlight. Within weeks of her third letter to the DPP, she was charged. Yet, when the case came to trial, she maintained her innocent plea.

In the witness box, Collins denied profusely that she had been involved in a plot to kill the Howards and said that PJ had been very good to her. Put under pressure to name who may have set her up, she refused to do so. She was also reluctant to be drawn on allegations she had made about PJ

Howard, in a letter to the Gerry Ryan show on RTE 2FM in April 2006. In the letter, she had claimed that her partner had used prostitutes and transvestites and had encouraged her to take part in strange sex.

Asked three times were the contents in the letter true, she said, “Some of it was, but a lot of that letter wasn’t true and doesn’t give the full picture. I feel it shouldn’t have been used in here.”

But crucially she showed two con- trasting personalities in the witness box – the jury saw a cool, confident and smiling Collins during one of her two days’ evidence, followed by a tearful and sad Collins the follow- bITae rN

Her arrogance and self-assured at- titude on her first visit to the witness box were replaced by a pale-faced women in considerable difficulty the following day.

The jurors were not convinced by her and decided that she was guilty on all six charges she had faced. Ulti- mately, Sharon Collins must pay the price for her greed, dishonesty and or NOLO LEIS a ehsh

OPPONENTS of plans to construct a €10 million explosives plant on the Shannon Estuary have served papers seeking a High Court injunction pre- venting An Bord Pleanala from tak- ing any further steps in determining the appeal on the plan.

Last Thursday in Ennis, the appeals board three-day oral hearing into the proposal concluded with counsel for Shannon Explosives Ltd, Esmonde

Keane SC stating that the board’s reason for refusing planning permis- sion to a previous plan by the com- pany has been fully dealt with in the new proposal.

However, Mr Keane’s closing state- ment took place in the absence of Opponents to the plan, An Taisce, Cairde Chill an Disirt Teo (CCDT) and three individual appellants who all withdrew from the hearing on Tuesday after the board refused to state as to whether the hearing was

being held under Irish law or a re- view under an EU Directive.

Acting solicitor for CCDT, Michael Nolan confirmed that the High Court case being brought by his clients has been adjourned from last Friday, Oc- tober 24 to November 21 to allow the other sides lodge responding affida- Wali

Mr Nolan said that An Bord Pleana- la gave an undertaking in court that if they were to make a decision on the appeal, they would give CCDT

notice if they wished to seek a court order preventing the board from de- termining the appeal.

Mr Nolan confirmed that CCDT are seeking an injunction preventing An Bord Pleanala from taking any steps in determining the appeal and an order requiring the reconvening of the oral hearing.

The application for judicial review is also demanding that the appeals board determine whether the appeal before is a review under EU legisla-

tion or an appeal under Irish law. Terance Corry of CDDT told

CLARE county councillor Oliver Garry (FG) said a higher Garda vis- ibility in Kildysart is giving an ele- ment of confidence and security back to the local people.

In the last number of weeks a patrol car has been visible in an area that has been victim to daylight burgla- ries and boat engine thefts.

The Kildysart councillor said that the visibility of the gardai and the formation of the local community alert under the chairmanship of local

businessman Michael Michaels are adding to community confidence.

A spate of burglaries within a ten- mile radius of the village had been a cause of concern for the quiet west Clare area.

Homes in rural areas around Bal- lynacally and Cranny had witnessed a series of day light burglaries

The thieves targeted the unoccupied homes during the day and among the items stolen include jewellery, cash and computer games.

Five boat engines, valued at up to €6,000 each, had also been stolen

from Crovraghan Quay, Kildysart on two separate occasions.

These boats were used by local farmers to access the island.

“The reports I had been getting back from people was the lack of Garda presence and the Garda vis- ibility has given the people more as- surance that there is a watchful eye on the area,” he said.

“*T felt concerned for the people who lived on the island, and have now moved to the mainland, that they felt their boats and engines were not safe on the quay side. People go to the 1s-

land on a daily basis to work on their farms. It is all very upsetting.

“The community is now more to- gether on this. They are reporting strangers in the area and are more alert to different people. People are also keeping an eye on elderly people living alone through the community alert,” he said.

Gardai are covering areas such as Ballynacally, Ballycorrick, Cranny, Coolmean and Kilmurry McMahon in the patrol car and giving support to Labasheeda, according to Cllr Garry.

IT WOULD seem that the bees haven’t been so busy in west Clare last summer as honey is as scarce and precious as gold in the county.

As a result of the honey decline EIRI Corca Baiscinn has found yet another niche in the market to help supplement farmers income in west Clare. The organisation is hosting a nine-week Bee Keeping Course starting on Monday, November 3 at the Brothers of Charity in Kilrush.

The course 1s aimed at anyone who may have considered keeping their own honeybees and harvesting their own wild flower honey.

“There are many reasons to keep bees as well as being able to get your own local, nutritious honey to sweet- en drinks and food,’ said Hilary Gleeson, Rural Development Officer with EIRI.

“Bees, as every keen gardener knows, help with pollination in your own garden or orchard and surround- ing area. Beeswax can be used to make candles, soap and cosmetics,” she added

The wet summer resulted in a low honey yield this year and the ru- ral development officer hopes that if more people get involved in the home industry next year there will be sufficient honey available to act as

a sweetener to the health conscious and ward of colds and flus in the county.

Ms Gleeson said that honey was not very plentiful in the seen farmers markets in the county this year, and hoped that with more suppliers the natural produce would be available well into the winter.

“Tt is very hard to buy at the mo- ment. It would be a big seller if we could get more of it at the markets,” she said.

The bee-keeping course will cover the history of beekeeping and how to get started including beekeep- ing terminology, and the equipment needed.

Information on the types of hives, apiary selection and management, handling the bees, a month by month beekeeping diary, queen rearing, pests and diseases, flowers for nectar and pollen, dealing with the honey crop and preparing for winter will also be among some of the areas Ono Keren

The course will also include a visit to lecturer, Fintan Ryan’s apiary in Rahona, Carrigaholt.

Bookings and information for the course 1s available at EIRI Corca Baiscinn, Kilkee on 9056611 or by contacting Hilary Gleeson, Rural De- velopment Officer on 086 8235598. The course cost €20.

THE founder of one of the leading Lovie alee mmr TIC MOM BDO ab NsounIty companies in the western region has reiterated his commitment to build- ing a hotel in Kilrush and developing the marina.

Louis Keating of Kilmihil based L and M Keating Ltd, was speaking at the launch of the company’s biggest ever development in Kilrush — The Merchants Quay Business Quarter.

‘This is our first job in the town as developers. Generally we see our- selves as contractors, we generally tender for work, sign contract and carry out work on time,” he told the packed room at the development’s launch.

“These offices are part of a larger development which consisted of apartments, offices, hotel and a multi storey car park. The apartments at this stage are built. We acquired the

project in the past few months and we have now completed the offices and we do intend if possible at all, to proceed with the hotel and with the car park.

‘I suppose in the current economic climate, its unlikely in the next few months that we will be commencing work on the hotel but we are very aware that Kilrush really needs a hotel, and I know all of the bodies in the town are very supportive of a hotel,” he told the mix of business people and politicians.

“In fact everywhere I go I am al- ways asked, any move on the hotel?” he added.

‘As people may be aware we also have involvement with the marina in Kilrush. Our company together with another company are the preferred bidders to develop the marina.

“Now we have quite ambitious plans, again they are on the back burner to some degree at the mo-

ment but we are still actually talking to Shannon Development and I am quiet confident that we will carry out our development dreams in the ma- rina, and I think this would be a great boost for the town,” he said.

Merchants Quay has been hailed as Kilrush’s landmark building with office and commercial unit available for sale or lease.

Mr Keating also pointed out that the units are one of the few tax-des- ignated properties in the country.

Dentist Dr Niall McCarthy has al- ready decided to take up residence in the building.

Ten years ago Louis Keating went through the old mills – then boarded up and closed – that make up the new state of the art development.

“Today is part of a new life for these building and I hope they are just as noisy as ever they were with just as many people working here, and that they are as important a part of Kil-

rush as they always were,” he said.

“Vd like to acknowledge the vi- sion of Mark and Dermot Reidy who started off this project,’ he added be- fore thanking all those that worked on the development.

He added a special word of ap- preciation to the new development’s neighbours Charles and Edel Glynn for their patience during the two and a half years work.

Mayor of Clare Cllr Madeleine Taylor Quinn (FG) congratulated Mr Keating and thanked him for the amount of employment his company brought to west Clare.

‘He is a very humble man who does a very good job and we really are proud of him,” she said.