Dead man's uncle denies he 'grew' suspect into gunman
The uncle of a man shot in the back at a family funeral has denied suggestions that he "grew" one of the accused into a gunman who opened fire at Sligo graveyard, the Central Criminal Court has heard.
Defence counsel suggested to Mr "Jaws" Ward snr (aged 63) that he didn’t place Mr Patrick McDonagh at the fatal shooting until two months after the events of May 10, 1999 at Ballymote cemetery.
Mr Ward snr said he was "under stress" and at the time his main priority was to collect his nephew’s remains from Sligo Hospital.
Mr Michael "Hitler Bumbee" McDonagh snr (aged 58), Mr Martin "Bumbee" McDonagh snr (aged 53), Mr Michael McDonagh jnr (aged 29), Mr Patrick McDonagh (aged 33) and Mr Martin "Spider Bumbee" McDonagh jnr (aged 26) from Hertfordshire in London have all denied the murder of Mr Ward.
The five also deny the attempted murder of Mr Patrick "Jaws" Ward snr, Mr Patrick "Jaws" Ward jnr and Mr Edward "Ned" Ward on the same date.
Mr "Deuce" Ward, (aged 38), a father of six originally from Galway but resident in Manchester had travelled to Ireland for the funeral of his uncle, in Ballymote, Co. Sligo on May 10, 1999 when he was fatally shot.
Mr Anthony Sammon went on to ask the witness how he could not remember giving a statement to a garda after the fatal shooting but could remember speaking on the 9pm RTE television news.
Mr Ward snr said he didn’t "have that conversation" with Garda Feely. "I was in no form to talk to gardaí," he said.
The trial continues before Mr Justice Iarfhlaith O’Neill at the Central Criminal Court.
