Charges against three people in connection with events that led to the dramatic collapse of a murder trial have been struck out at Limerick District Court.
The trial collapsed last November when three witnesses denied making statements to gardaí identifying Liam Keane as the killer of 19 year-old Eric Leamy in August 2001.
Charges against three people arising from the collapsed trial were struck out today after Limerick District Court heard that the book of evidence in the case had not been served.
Appearing before Judge John O'Neill were Mr Roy Behan (24) of St.Senan's Street, St Mary's Park; Mr David Murphy (19), of the Lee Estate; and Ms Amanda McNamara (20), formerly of the Lee Estate - all in Limerick.
Mr Behan and Ms McNamara had been charged with committing perjury while under oath as witnesses in the trial of Liam Keane. Mr Murphy had been charged with contempt of court after refusing to give evidence in the same case.
Gardaí have applied to remand all three on continuing bail for a further two weeks pending further directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Following an application from defence counsel, Judge O'Neill struck out the charges after the court heard that the book of evidence in the case was still not ready some four months after the trio had been arrested.
Liam Keane had denied the charge of murdering Eric Leamy in the Lee Estate, Limerick, on August 28th, 2001. He walked free from the Central Criminal Court last November after the DPP ordered that a nolle prosequibe entered with his presumption of innocence still intact.
During that trial, Mr Justice Paul Carney remarked that it appeared that a number of people were suffering from "collective amnesia" in the case.