Widow testifies in bouncer murder trial

Ms Alice Fitzgerald told Mr Denis Vaughan Buckley SC, prosecuting that on the night he died, Brian Fitzgerald had left for work, as usual, at around 8.10pm.

He was head of security in a Limerick nightclub. Before he left he bathed the couple's two young children and stayed with them until they fell asleep.

Ms Fitzgerald said her husband usually got home at around 3.10am. At around 2am she got up to give one of the children a bottle and stayed awake to wait for her husband.

Mr Fitzgerald was late home and she presumed he had been delayed talking to one of his employees. At around 3.50am she heard the jeep and a short while later heard the door open.

She started coming downstairs but heard four shots and the sound of glass breaking. She said she heard her husband shout out "Come on ye c***s."

As she ran down the stairs she could see her husband fighting with a man in a motorcycle helmet through the glass panel in the front door. As she watched her husband looked at her through the glass.

She ran back upstairs to phone the guards but could not get her phone to work so she came back downstairs. She used the house phone to call the gardaí and was looking out of the window as she talked.

"As I was looking out there was a guy standing directly outside the window," she said.

She told Mr Vaughan Buckley he was a thin build man wearing a motorcycle helmet. She could only see the second man's legs as he was blocked by the jeep but could see he was a "big, fat, stocky guy".

She was using the cordless house phone and looking out of the window as she talked. One of the men was standing directly outside and she rapped on the window with the phone. He looked at her and she could see his face. "He had very shiny eyes and his eyebrows - they met," she said. "They were jet, jet black."

She said the man muttered something and "took off". As they left she saw that one of the men was limping. She went outside the house and looked in the jeep. "I don't know what I thought. I just looked in the jeep to see if he was there."

Ms Fitzgerald said that she initially thought the two men had abducted her husband.

Earlier today, in his opening speech, Mr Vaughan Buckley, told the jury the main prosecution witness in this case Mr James Martin Cahill had pleaded guilty to the actually committing the murder but would say that the four accused had taken part in the planning and execution of the offence.

Mr Vaughan Buckley said Mr Cahill would say that he had moved to live with an uncle in Clare at the age of fifteen and had there got to know one of the accused, Anthony Kelly through a friendship with his two sons.

On November 25 2002, he would say, he was contacted by either Kelly or his son and told on the following bring a change of clothes with him the following day.

The next day he was collected by Kelly's son and driven into Limerick city. Kelly followed behind in his car. In Limerick they went to meet a Mr "B" (who cannot be named for legal reasons) at a shopping centre in the town.

After this meeting they drove to co-accused Desmond Dundon's house where Cahill left his clothes. He stayed at this address that night.

Mr Vaughan Buckley told the jury Cahill would tell that the following morning he caught the early train to Dublin where he was to meet Mr "A", the man who was ordering the killing and Mr "C", who was to drive the motorbike during the attack.

He was met at Heuston Station by another man, Mr "D", who also cannot be named for legal reasons. Mr D brought Cahill to his house then they left to find Mr C. They tracked Mr C down to a pub near his home and were then met by Mr A, in a jeep.

Mr A asked Mr C if he would drive a motorbike for a job he needed done. He did not specify what that job was. Mr C said he would, he had a fast bike, a Ducatti.

Cahill would say that after this meeting Mr A drove him to Kildare where they booked into a hotel for the night. The following day they drove in the direction of Port Laoise and stopped in a small restaurant. They were joined by Mr B.

Mr A asked Cahill if he would kill Mr Fitzgerald for €10,000. Cahill said he would. After the meal, Mr A left and Mr B drove Cahill back to Anthony Kelly's house.

Kelly met them at the door and brought them in then had a brief conversation with his son, who had arrived soon afterwards.

Kelly's son went away and returned with a gun and two plastic clips of bullets. Kelly then proceeded to show Cahill how to load and use the gun. Mr Vaughan Buckley said at this time Kelly was aware of the plan to kill Mr Fitzgerald.

The next day Mr B picked him up. Cahill had the gun and the two clips of bullets with him. They went to Mr B's house where they met the two Dundon brothers. They went to meet Mr C, who was arriving from Dublin.

When Mr C arrived he told them that the Ducatti was "f***ed". Gary Campion was called and he attempted to fix the bike without success. They hid the bike and went back to Mr B's house.

They discussed the murder. Mr C became apprehensive and said he wanted to pull out so Gary Campion was asked if he wanted to drive the motorbike instead. He agreed.

Cahill would say that the following day he dressed in the clothes he had previously left in Mr B's house. The Dundon brothers showed him where Mr Fitzgerald lived and John Dundon pointed out a secluded area near the house where they could hide until Mr Fitzgerald arrived.

Then they drove to the club where he worked and Desmond Dundon pointed out Mr Fitzgerald so that Cahill could get a good look at him. Cahill and Campion then went to back to the house, waiting for Desmond Dundon to tell them when Mr Fitzgerald left for work.

After about two hours they received a call from Desmond Dundon who told them that Mr Fitzgerald was on his way home. Mr Vaughan Buckley said it would appear that Dundon had been following Mr Fitzgerald because he said at one stage that Mr Fitzgerald was not alone in the car. He had in fact given a lift to one of his colleagues.

When Mr Fitzgerald arrived home, Cahill would say he started running towards him with the gun in his hands as Mr Fitzgerald got out of his jeep. Mr Fitzgerald saw the two men and shouted they were "fucking c***s" and that he would fight them.

Cahill ran towards him, falling as he ran, and fired several shots. Mr Fitzgerald was hit but got up and ran into the road with Cahill following him and started banging on a neighbours door. Cahill followed him, shooting him several more times.

Cahill would say Mr Fitzgerald fell down a second time but did not get up again. Cahill walked up to him and shot him in the head at point blank range as instructed by Mr A.

Gary Campion was nearby. The two of them then searched Mr Fitzgerald and his jeep where, Cahill would say, they found a small handgun. He would also say that as he ran after Mr Fitzgerald he twisted his ankle.

Cahill and Campion then went back to Mr B's house to tell him Mr Fitzgerald was dead. Cahill then travelled to Belfast via Dublin and met up with Mr A. They booked into a hotel where they met John Dundon and the three of them discussed the murder.

After a couple of days Cahill travelled to Manchester where he met Anthony Kelly and again discussed the murder.

The trial continues at the Central Criminal Court sitting at Cloverhill before Mr Justice Peter Charleton and the jury of 12 men.