State witness Russell Warren has told the Special Criminal Court that he cleaned his fingerprints off a stolen motorbike the night before it was used in the murder of journalist Veronica Guerin.
Warren also said he had used petrol to clean his fingerprints off the bike after he had carried out work to make it roadworthy.
The Dublin man, who is in the Witness Protection Programme, told the court that just after the murder he was asked by Mr A, the leader of the drugs gang behind the killing, to dispose of the motorbike but he refused. Warren said he then telephoned Mr Brian Meehan, who is on trial for Ms Guerin's murder, and Mr Meehan told him he would look after the job himself.
The court has heard Warren say he provided the stolen motorbike used in the murder and that he witnessed the killing after following Ms Guerin from Naas courthouse.
Warren has admitted being a "bagman" for Mr A and delivering hundreds of thousands of pounds of drugs money to the Continent for him.
It was the 18th day of the trial of Mr Meehan (34), of no fixed abode, and formerly of Clifton Court, Dublin and Stanaway Road, Crumlin, Dublin, who has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Ms Guerin, (36) at Naas Road, Dublin on June 26th, 1996. Mr Meehan also denies 16 other charges of importing cannabis resin between July 1994 and October 1996, and of having cannabis resin for sale or supply. He has also pleaded not guilty to having a Sten submachine gun, silencer barrel, two magazines, a 9mm Agram machine pistol, five Walther semi-automatic pistols, four magazines and 1,057 rounds of ammunition with intent to endanger life at Oldcourt Road, Tallaght, Dublin between November 1995 and October 1996. Warren said that after the murder he rang Mr A who asked him to collect the motorbike, break it up and burn it and make sure it was never found again. Warren said he wanted nothing more to do with the bike and Mr A told him to ring Mr Meehan. He did so and Mr Meehan told him he would look after it himself.
Mr A had earlier told him that the red sports car used by Ms Guerin would be heading from Naas to Dublin but somebody else would be watching from the roof of Naas courthouse in case the car went in another direction.
Warren said he had no contact with anyone on the courthouse roof that day. Cross-examined by Mr John McCrudden QC, for Mr Meehan, Warren said Mr Meehan had arrived at a garage in Terenure the night before the murder to test drive the motorbike. He had arrived in a back of VW Golf driven by another gang member, Mr D.
Warren denied a suggestion by Mr McCrudden that the motorbike had been stolen as part of a plan by Mr A and he said the bike was stolen as "a stupid prank". He had presumed the bike would be used in a robbery or to shoot someone but he did not know what they wanted it for.
Warren said he had not discussed Ms Guerin with Mr A and said he did not know she was a journalist. He denied that he was "part of a well-oiled murder machine bearing down on Veronica Guerin".
He admitted under cross-examination that he had cleaned the motorbike the week before the killing, after he had carried out repairs on Mr A's instructions, fitting indicators, an ignition and number plates. He also admitted cleaning the bike with petrol the night before the killing, before and after Mr Meehan had ridden it.
"The bike was a stolen bike so no matter where it was found I didn't want my fingerprints on it," he added. But Warren denied he had cleaned his fingerprints off the bike because he knew Ms Guerin was going to be murdered.
The trial continues today.