A jury at the Central Criminal Court has heard a territorial dispute between rival motor bike clubs in Limerick led to a 51-year-old man being shot at point blank range with a shotgun.
Alan McNamara, 50, from Mountfune, Murroe, Co Limerick has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Andrew O’Donoghue on 20 June 2015.
His step son, 28-year-old Robert Cusack from Abbington, Murroe, has pleaded not guilty to assisting an offender.
In his opening statement to the jury, prosecuting counsel Michael Delaney told the jury the killing of Mr O’Donoghue was linked to some form of territorial dispute between rival motorcycle clubs.
The victim of the shooting was a member and treasurer of the Road Tramps club, which drew membership from the Limerick area.
The accused man Alan McNamara, also known as "Cookie", was a former member of the same club but had left and joined a rival club, the Caballeros, which was originally based in Tipperary but had moved to Limerick City.
The jury was told the day before the shooting Mr McNamara had gone to a pub in Doon, Co Limerick wearing the "colours" of his club, the Caballeros.
Wearing such an emblem or badge would have been seen as a provocative act and word got around quickly.
As he left the pub with his wife, he was set upon by three men and his jacket bearing the colours was forcibly removed from him.
Mr Delaney said Mr McNamara was very vexed by this as to remove someone's colours was a huge insult to the person and their club.
He said this incident formed an important backdrop to events the following day.
On 20 June a member of the Road Tramps club, Seamus Duggan, was followed by three men in "a 23km road chase".
Mr Duggan had called other club members for help and it was decided he should drive to the Road Tramps club at Murroe and the gates would be opened for him.
The victim Andrew O'Donoghue and another club member were there waiting to let him in.
The prosecution says Mr McNamara knew this and approached with a sawn off shot gun.
The court heard Mr O’Donoghue tried to close the gates but was shot at point blank range by Mr McNamara.
The jury heard Mr McNamara tried to reload the gun but had difficulty doing so and in the meantime the club member closed the gates, keeping him outside while Mr O'Donoghue lay inside the gates fatally wounded.
Mr O'Donoghue sustained severe facial and head injuries and was pronounced dead in hospital a few hours later.
The car carrying the three men involved in the car chase then passed by and it is alleged the gun was handed in to Robert Cusack and was later found concealed at the back of Mr McNamara's house, Mr Delaney said.
The jury was told that after his arrest Mr McNamara told gardaí the night before the shooting members of the Road Tramps club had come to his home brandishing firearms and threatening him and his family.
Mr Delaney said it was clear Mr McNamara was incensed by what had happened.
Whether or not he shot Andrew O'Donoghue because he was the first member of the Road Tramps he came across that day, they could not say for sure.
However, he said the prosecution does say it was a deliberate act carried out without justification.
He said it is the prosecution's case that Robert Cusack concealed the weapon his step father had used.
The trial continues.
