A court has heard two murder plotters sniff cocaine and talk about their readiness to shoot a woman and her baby or gardaí should any of them get in the way of their operation, in an audio clip recorded on a listening device secretly placed in their vehicle.
One of the would-be assassins was recorded as saying: “Baby or no baby, I don’t give a f**k.”
Liam Brannigan (37) from Bride Street, Dublin 8, is charged with conspiring to murder Gary Hanley at a location within the State between September 15th and November 6th, 2017.
The accused has pleaded not guilty.
Three men have already pleaded guilty to the plot to kill Mr Hanley and been jailed — Luke Wilson, Joseph Kelly and Alan Wilson.
In the Special Criminal Court on Tuesday, the prosecution played an audio clip of an alleged conversation between Luke Wilson and Joseph Kelly while they were travelling in a white Volkswagen caddy van on November 2nd, 2017, in which they talked about their readiness to shoot a woman and her baby of gardaí should any of them get in their way.
This was four days before the two men were arrested a “short distance” from Mr Hanley’s home and gardaí seized a 9mm Beretta semi-automatic pistol and silencer.
The court has previously heard that Mr Brannigan was seen driving the same van on October 3rd, 2017.
On Tuesday afternoon, the court heard a continuing clip from the morning of November 2nd, 2017, from the bugged Volkswagen caddy van, during which Luke Wilson and Joseph Kelly spoke frustratingly about how they were continuously getting lost while trying to locate a specific house with a Range Rover parked outside.
Male one, who said he’d been “in the Joy with this fella [the kill target]” also said to male two: “What time does she leave at?”
Male one also said to the other that “she” doesn’t double lock the door, while adding: “Your man asked me to go over this morning, to see does she lock the door, you know what I mean?”
Male two, getting more frustrated, at one point said to male one: “It’s not good being seen so much around here.”
Male two also told male one: “I put it across to Alan that the two of us should be armed. That’s the way forward. I think sitting in the back of the van and just wait, wait for the opportunity because it’s gonna come, it’s gonna come.”
‘More homework’
Male two repeatedly said to male one: “More homework needs to be done on this. Our friend needs to be told how we want it to go down.”
He also said: “Don’t be afraid to say how you want it to go down. We’re the ones risking our lives. We need to go home safe.”
Male two also tells male one: “I’m not in this game to get caught.”
One of the men adds: “We want f**king money, not jail.”
During the lengthy clip, the men were also heard talking on the phone to somebody else and explaining that they had followed the directions but were still lost.
Male one said to male two: “This is a merry-go-round.”
In the clip, the court heard Luke Wilson and Joseph Kelly discussing how difficult it would be to break into a man’s home by going through the front door using a crowbar.
They’re also heard discussing when would be the most opportune time to shoot the man who’s “living over in Fairview”.
One of the men says “the only time you see him is when he’s standing at his door”, to which the other man replies, “That’s the perfect opportunity, man”.
Male two appears to be worried about what’s “beyond” the man’s front door and also says he reckons that breaking down the front door with a crowbar would raise suspicion amongst the man’s neighbours and that, within minutes, they’d be surrounded by gardaí.
Male two then says that he would have no problem waiting in a van and when the man stepped out of his house “at some stage” that he would shoot him.
He added: “Baby or no baby, I don’t give a f**k.”
One of the men also says that if a woman who lives at the house, leaves without locking the door, it would be easier for the two men to carry out their plan.
Then male two suggests going “barefaced” up to the frontdoor, wearing a hi-viz jacket and holding a clipboard, knocking on the door and entering the premises and shooting the man.
Male one told male two he shouldn’t go “barefaced” as “your f**king face is up”.
‘Strict orders’
At one point, male two said he had no problem shooting the man’s female partner.
He said: “We get through the door, yeah. It’s going to be his missus, a child. If they get in the way, they’re going to be killed. She’s obviously going to try and get in the way. There’s a child going to be there.”
Male one responds: “Ah no come here, the way it is, like under strict orders, no birds are to be hit.”
However then male one adds: “If there’s a ricochet, there’s a ricochet, accidents happen.”
Male two then says “if she gets in the way, I’ll give it to her”.
Male two also said he intends on getting his “job done” no matter what.
“If police are there, I’m going to shoot the police as well,” he said.
During the same conversation, one of the men can be heard sniffing intermittently and loudly before saying “coke is nice”.
The court has previously heard that secret listening devices were placed on six suspect vehicles by surveillance gardaí in August, September and October 2017, as part of an ongoing Garda investigation into members of the Kinahan organised crime gang and their associates.
One of these cars was the white Volkswagen caddy van.
Another clip from the Volkswagen caddy, on November 3rd, 2017, was also played in court.
The identity of the two men in the vehicle were not revealed in the court. However, the court previously heard from surveillance gardaí say they saw Joseph Kelly driving the caddy on the morning of November 3rd, and later saw Mr Kelly walking with Alan Wilson.
In the clip, one of the men is heard telling the other “she” leaves a property at around 8am to 8.15am.
Luke Wilson (24), from Cremona Road in Ballyfermot, Dublin, and Joseph Kelly (35) of Kilworth Road, Drimnagh, Dublin 12, were arrested after the white Volkswagen caddy was stopped on Philipsburgh Avenue, Marino, Dublin 3, just after 8pm on the night of November 6th, 2017.
During that arrest, gardai seized a 9mm Beretta semi-automatic pistol and other items.
Luke Wilson, Joseph Kelly and Alan Wilson (39) of New Street Gardens, Dublin 8 have all already pleaded guilty to conspiring to murder Mr Hanley and been jailed.
The trial continues.