Victim's partner denies incorrectly identifying accused
The partner of a Limerick man who was shot dead outside his home has denied that she incorrectly identified the man who is now on trial for the murder.
Claire Ronan told a jury in the Central Criminal Court she saw a man she recognised as Greg Crawford standing close to her partner Gareth Brosnan-Grant as he lay on the ground outside their home at St Ita’s Street, St Mary’s Park, Limerick on October 8th, 2007.
Father of three Mr Brosnan-Grant (aged 25) suffered a gunshot wound and was pronounced dead at Limerick Regional Hospital later that night.
Greg Crawford (aged 24), of St Munchin’s Street, St Mary’s Park, Limerick, denies the charge of murdering Mr Brosnan-Grant.
Cross-examined by Hugh Hartnett SC for the defence, Ms Ronan agreed she gave a statement to gardaí two days after the shooting and had stated in it: “I did not see his face”.
Several weeks later she contacted gardaí and gave a second statement, in which she said she had recognised the man as Greg “Squid” Crawford.
Mr Hartnett put it to her: “It wasn’t until a couple of months later that you decided you had seen his face”.
Ms Ronan responded: “I didn’t decide that I had seen his face. I saw his face that night. I was just frightened. My head was all over the place. My partner had been murdered and my whole world had crumbled”.
Mr Hartnett then suggested the witness was “mistaken” in her identification but she replied: “I’m in no way mistaken”.
Questioned by Mr Thomas Creed SC for the prosecution, Claire Ronan said she had also given Greg Crawford’s name to Detective Garda Gerry Cleary who came on the scene immediately after her partner was shot.
She said: “The ambulance came and took Gareth. Gerry Cleary followed me down to the ambulance and said: “Who was it?” and I said: “It’s Greg Crawford, Squid Crawford”.
Ms Ronan also recalled that on the evening in question she had been at home with her partner and children and Gareth’s mother Gabrielle (Gail) Brosnan when Gareth left the house.
She explained: “I was in the kitchen and Gareth came in and he took something from the press and he came back out. I asked him where he was going and he said: “I’ll be back in a minute love”.
“He said he was going up the road and he’d be back in a minute and to make him a cup of tea”.
Ms Ronan said she brought tea to Gareth’s mother in the sitting room and had returned to the kitchen to collect her own tea when she heard a shot.
She told the court: “Gabrielle said: “Is that a shot?” and I said no, that it was a banger, because it was October and there was a lot of bangers”.
She said she ran to the front of the house and onto the street and saw a figure lying partially concealed behind a car. She recognised her partner by his white runners.
Ms Ronan said she screamed and then knocked on a neighbour’s door and asked her to call an ambulance, while Gabrielle came out and tended to her son.
She told the jury: “She had Gareth’s head on her lap, she was trying to feel a pulse. I put my head on his back just to see could I hear him breathing. “I said: “Gail, it was Squid Crawford”.
The six men and six women of the jury also heard evidence from the victim's older brother David Grant.
Cross-examined by Mr Hartnett, Mr Grant said he had been leaving his brother’s house shortly before 10pm on the night of the shooting when he saw Greg Crawford standing on the corner.
Mr Hartnett put it to him: “I’m going to suggest that you are mistaken, that you did not see him”.
Mr Grant responded: “I seen him”.
The trial continues before Mr Justice Paul Carney.
