Shooting victim admits he shot at joyriders years earlier
A Jordanian man who claims an Irishman attempted to murder him by shooting him in the head at a Leasureplex in Dublin’s Blanchardstown, has admitted that he shot at a joyrider with a legally held shotgun several years earlier.
However he said he did not believe it was this joyrider who had shot at him and was “110%” convinced it was the accused Darren Larkin.
Akef Alquasar was giving evidence at the Central Criminal Court today on day three of the trial of Mr Larkin (aged 23), of no fixed address, who denies attempting to murder the witness in the early hours of February 20th 2006.
He also denies two further charges of possession of a firearm and ammunition with intent to endanger life.
Under cross-examination from Ms Mary Ellen Ring SC, defending, Mr Alquasar said that he kept a legally held Russian single barrel shotgun in his house which he used for hunting ducks, rabbits and wild pigeon on trips to fields around Baldoyle and the Blessington lakes.
He said joyriding in Blanchardstown, where he lived, “was a menace. It was worse than Beirut.”
He said young families were waking up at 1 or 2 in the morning when cars were bursting into flames.
In 1992 he said his pregnant wife nearly died as a result of the activity. She had an appointment for the birth of their daughter to be induced the next morning, but couldn’t sleep.
The next day the road was littered with burned out cars. He said “she was so close to dying” and so exhausted she had problems delivering the baby. After this incident he said he had taken his shotgun and fired it at the car of a joyrider who came out and said “I didn’t do it.”
He said joyriders in the area used to laugh at gardaí and stone the fire brigade, but he said: “I stopped them. I’m not saying it was the right way, but it was effective.”
Asked by Ms Ring if he could think of a reason why anyone would want to shoot him, the witness said he would not have worked on the door of the Leisureplex where he was shot, if he had thought his life was in jeopardy.
He said he had had disagreements over his deals buying and selling goods including alcohol but nothing that would have amounted to someone wanting to take his life.
Asked if the person he had fired at in the stolen car could have had a dispute with him, he said: “His father told me if you see him next time I give you full permission to kick the daylight out of him and bring him down to me.”
He said he was known in the area as a fair man and if someone was put out of the Leisureplex it was their fault, not his.
When Ms Ring put it to Mr Alquasar that he had been mistaken as to the identity of his attacker he said: “It was Darren Larkin, the one sitting there, he’s the one who shot me, 110%, without a shadow of a doubt.”
In earlier evidence Mr Alquasar also told Ms Ring that gardaí had once searched his house for firearms.
He said he was “amazed” by this and agreed this could have been a few weeks or months after the murder of a man called Paschal Boland.
He said the search of his home had taken place eight or nine years ago and he told officers he thought someone might be setting him up: “I think someone rang because I was selling drink. I was amazed because I had nothing to do with anything like this.”
He said they had not given him any more information as to why the search was taking place. Asked by Ms Ring if he had had a conversation on April 12 this year with Detective Inspector Bernard Sherry from Blanchardstown garda station, the witness replied: “I did, yes.”
He said the conversation was about his statement and that the Detective Inspector had wished him luck in court.
Asked if he had spoken about the search of his home and a man called Paschal Boland, he said he probably had.
He remembered something happening in the area and agreed Mr Boland had been murdered.
Asked if this was around the time gardaí had called to his house to look for a firearm he said: “I don’t recall, could be a few weeks after or a few months.”
He agreed he owned a Russian single barrel shotgun, which was licensed until 2005 when the license was put on hold by mutual agreement with gardaí.
He said they told him it was nothing to do with him personally, but they were trying to limit the number of guns in the area. Another witness, Anthony Smithers said he was at the Leisureplex in Blanchardstown in the early hours of February 20th last year when he heard someone shouting and screaming.
He told prosecuting counsel Mr Shane Murphy SC that he saw Mr Alquasar, the previous witness, throwing bowling shoes at a man who had a gun.
He could not describe this man and said he got a fright and ran away. Afterwards he said he saw Mr Alquasar chasing the gunman and heard him shout : “Larkin you bastard I’m gonna get you.”
The trial continues before Mr Justice Eamon de Valera and the jury.
