Murder accused ‘thought rival biker holding gun’ rather than iron bar

A biker accused of murder told gardaí he loaded a shotgun, went to the clubhouse of a rival motorcycle group and shot a man as he feared his stepson was going to be killed.

Alan 'Cookie' McNamara (51) said he did not intend to kill anyone but was panicking after he was attacked and threats were made against him and his family. He said his intention was to frighten the other bikers so they would leave his family alone.

Mr McNamara, from Mountfune, Murroe, Co Limerick has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Andrew O’Donoghue on June 20th, 2015 at Mountfune.

His stepson, Robert Cusack (28), of Abington, Murroe, has pleaded not guilty to impeding Mr McNamara's apprehension knowing or believing him to have committed a serious offence.

Sgt Brian O’Connor and Det Garda Niall Fitzgerald told prosecuting counsel John O’Sullivan BL that they interviewed Mr McNamara 17 times at Roxboro Garda station in Limerick between June 21st and June 25th, 2015.

During those interviews, Mr McNamara described how he was attacked the day before the shooting outside a pub in Doon by members of the Road Tramps motorcycle club. They took his waistcoat, which had the colours of his own club, the Caballeros, sewn into the back.

When Mr McNamara arrived home that evening, he said a maroon car pulled up outside and there was a threat to burn down his house and kill his family.

Bullied

Mr McNamara was secretary of the Caballeros club, having left the Road Tramps 15 years earlier. He left because he did not get on with some of the Road Tramps, who he said bullied him when he first joined as a “prospect”.

He explained that prospects are not full members until the members of the club accept them. Becoming a full member depends on “how you are as a man”. Mr Cusack was a prospect in the Caballeros in June 2015.

The morning after Mr McNamara was attacked in Doon, he said he woke up “totally out of my mind”. He was scared for his family, upset and in shock.

When he heard Harley Davidson motorbikes about two to three miles away from his house, he said: “In my head they were setting something up.”

That afternoon he received a phone call from Mr Cusack who told him that he had “spotted the Road Tramps” and was following them.

“I thought he was being attacked or something. That is when I panicked...After the threats, I thought they might kill my son.”

He said he loaded the gun, put it in the back seat and drove up the road to the Road Tramps clubhouse. When he arrived, he saw two men and he thought they were armed so he grabbed his own gun.

Panic

As he grabbed it his hand slipped and the gun went off. He said the noise was deafening and caused him to panic. He stopped the car and got out and said he saw Mr O’Donoghue pointing something at him.

“I thought he had a gun so I fired at him.”

Afterwards he thought, “shit what am I after doing” but was worried that more Road Tramps were coming for him so he tried to reload.

CCTV showed that Mr O’Donoghue was carrying an iron bar when he was shot. Gardaí showed the iron bar to Mr McNamara and asked him if it looks like a gun. He said it did not but that he is near-sighted and in the distance he thought it was a gun.

Gardaí also put it to him that he could have just driven away, but he said he did not want the Road Tramps to come and kick down his door firing shots.

He also told gardai that he didn’t intend to kill anyone but wanted to frighten them, so they would stay away from his family.

After shooting Mr O’Donoghue, the accused said the car with his stepson and two other men pulled up. Mr McNamara told them: “I think I’m after shooting somone,” and gave the gun to Mr Cusack.

Mr McNamara then got into his own car and drove away.

The trial continues.