A key witness for the State in a number of prosecutions for the murder of Veronica Guerin was released from jail yesterday. Russell Warren, from Tallaght, who was described as John Gilligan's "bagman", is now starting a new life abroad under the Government's Witness Protection Programme. Mr Warren, who was one of three witnesses under special protection, had served the majority of a five-year sentence he received in 1997 for money laundering for the Gilligan gang.
He was released from Arbour Hill prison and was taken away to start a new life yesterday morning. He gave evidence in the cases against gang members, Paul Ward, Brian Meehan and most recently John Gilligan. Last week, another protected witness John Dunne was released from prison. He is aged 44 and was a former operations manager of an international freight company in Cork. He had served a three-year sentence for illegally importing cannabis in 1999.
