A witness in the Ennis conspiracy to murder trial has said he was scared and intimidated when questioned by gardaí after he gave evidence earlier this month.
John Keating - a building contractor from Ennis - was called as a prosecution witness but it emerged that he was providing what could amount to alibi evidence for Sharon Collins.
Mr Keating said he was with Ms Collins viewing properties on a key date in the prosecution's case when numerous emails were sent to an alleged hitman for hire.
When he left the witness box Mr Keating claims he was asked by a garda if they would 'have to get the handcuffs' for him.
He said he was later questioned for over three hours by gardaí and was intimidated by the whole experience.
However the court heard that the reference to handcuffs was said as a joke and was not directed at Mr Keating.
Detective Garda Terese Flannery said she was marshalling witnesses to take them for lunch and made a sign with her hands meaning they should keep together on their way to lunch.
She said she did not mention the word handcuffs and did not direct the gesture at Mr Keating.
However she said she should not have made the gesture outside a courtroom and accepted that Mr Keating could have been nervous about giving evidence.
She said she had not been in court to hear his evidence.
In his evidence today Mr Keating denied that he had 'made up' diary entries that show he was discussing building work with Ms Collins on 16 August 2006.
A garda forensic expert said he examined the diary and established that three different inks were used on the entries.
Mr Keating said he kept several pens and used different ones all the time. He also showed the court a Bic pen containing several different coloured inks which he said he routinely used.
Mr Keating said he remembered the time spent with Ms Collins on the morning of 16 August as it was around the time he travelled to England by ferry.
However the prosecution claims there is no record of him travelling with the ferry company.
Mr Keating said he told gardaí he could produce his tickets but they never asked him for them subsequently.
He could no longer locate the ticket but produced a copy of a bonus point scheme that he says proves he travelled to England on the dates he said.
A ferry company employee said the document did not prove he travelled on those particular dates.
