Charges dropped against Keane murder trial witnesses
Charges against three people in connection with events which led to the dramatic collapse of a murder trial have been struck out at Limerick District Court.
The trial collapsed last November when three witnesses denied making statements to gardaí identifying Liam Keane as the killer of 19-year-old Eric Leamy in August, 2001.
Charges against three people arising from the collapsed trial were struck out after Limerick District Court heard that the book of evidence in the case had not been served.
Appearing before Judge John O'Neill were Roy Behan, (aged 24), of St Senan's Street, St Mary's Park, David Murphy, (aged 19), of the Lee Estate, and Amanda McNamara, (aged 20), formerly of the Lee Estate - all in Limerick.
Mr Behan and Ms McNamara had been charged with committing perjury while under oath as witnesses in the trial of Liam Keane while Mr Murphy had been charged with contempt of court after refusing to give evidence in the same case.
Gardaí applied to remand all three on continuing bail for a further two weeks pending further directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Following an application from Defence Counsel, Judge O'Neill struck out the charges after the court heard that the book of evidence in the case was still not ready some four months after the trio had been arrested.
Liam Keane had denied the charge of murdering Eric Leamy in the Lee Estate, Limerick, on August 28, 2001. He walked free from the Central Criminal Court last November after the DPP ordered that a "nolle prosequi" be entered with his presumption of innocence still intact.
During the trial, Mr Justice Paul Carney remarked that it appeared that a number of people were suffering from "collective amnesia" in the case.
