A 29-year-old man has been given a one year prison sentence after being convicted of perjury in a high-profile murder trial in 2003.
Roy Behan from Limerick was a witness in the trial of Liam Keane, who was accused of the murder of Eric Leamy. The trial collapsed after a number of witnesses retracted their statements.
Mr Behan was Eric Leamy's best friend and was with the 19-year-old the night he was stabbed to death in Limerick on 28 August 2001.
He originally made a detailed statement to gardaí identifying Liam Keane as the alleged killer, but later retracted that statement and denied any knowledge of the events.
The trial collapsed when Behan and a number of others retracted the statements they had made.
The Circuit Court in Limerick heard today Behan withdrew his statement because of fear for his life and the safety of his family.
He had been threatened by the late Kieran Keane, who had called to his home armed with a handgun and offered him €30,000 not to give evidence against Liam Keane, Kieran Keane's nephew.
Sentencing today, Judge Carrol Moran said he had to take the issue of duress into account and there was an abundance of evidence of that in the case.
However, Judge Moran said that perjury and giving false evidence go to the very core of the criminal justice system and the rule of law. He imposed a one year sentence.
Afterwards Eric Leamy's parents Anthony and Geraldine said they were disappointed with the sentence, but will continue to fight for justice for their son.
