A Dublin man has been found guilty of attempting to murder another man over a €200 debt.
Michael Brennan (20) of Cromcastle Drive, Kilmore was 17 when he went with another teenager to the victim's flat and shot him twice.
He had pleaded not guilty at the Central Criminal Court to the attempted murder of James Egan on Saturday April 29th, 2006. His co-accused, Wesley Byrne of Belcamp Crescent, Darndale, is deceased.
Brennan was also convicted of possession of a sawn-off shotgun and possession of live shotgun cartridges, both with intent to endanger life.
In the first trial to take place at the new Courts of Criminal Justice on Parkgate Street, the jury gave its majority verdict of 11 to 1 in the Four Courts, after three hours and 35 minutes of deliberation.
The eight-day trial heard that Mr Egan was shot in the stomach and thigh after opening the door of his council flat in Cromcastle Court, Kilmore Road, Coolock. Mr Egan and his partner had been smoking heroin in the flat while her four-year-old daughter slept.
He heard a knock and Byrne told him that it was him and to open the door. He opened the door as he had been expecting Byrne over to buy drugs. The victim saw very little, just a shadow and a blue flash. He heard the gunshots but felt no pain due to shock.
Although the victim did not see Brennan at the door, the seven women and five men of the jury were satisfied from other evidence that he was there and acted in joint enterprise.
After the jury gave its verdict, Mr Justice Paul Carney said he believed there had been some intimidation of jury. The forewoman said that three members had felt intimidated during the trial by two members of the public.
The judge asked if the jurors could point them out in the court but the forewomen said that they would rather not identify them.
Mr Justice Carney told the jury that someone had been imprisoned during the trial for witness intimidation.
On day three of the trial, he jailed a friend of the accused for contempt of court. In the jury's absence, detective Garda Claire Troy gave evidence that she saw Orla Dunne intimidating two witnesses.
He remanded Brennan in custody and adjourned sentencing until March 8th.