This article is from page 20 of the 2008-06-03 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 20 JPG
PJ HOWARD’S youngest son told the trial that he had a close relationship with Sharon Collins, who supported him when his mother died.
Niall Howard (24) said that Ms Col- lins had helped him to choose items for rebuilding the house in which he had lived with his mother, after her lero
Ms Collins’ barrister, Paul O’ Higgins, SC, in cross-examination of the witness, said, “She was 1n most respects in the position of someone who appeared married to him.” Niall Howard replied, “Yes.”
Asked did he have a close relation- ship with Ms Collins, he replied, “Yes, I did.”
Mr O’Higgins put it to him that he had endured a difficult time when his mother had died and Ms Collins had offered him support through this time. He replied, “Yes, she did”.
Mr O’Higgins pointed out that Ni- all had lived with his mother prior to moving in with his brother Robert. After his mother had died Niall went about rebuilding the house. Ms Col- lins was closely involved in this and helped him pick out tiles. Mr Howard accepted this.
“Sharon Collins would have liked to marry your father but he didn’t want to,” said Mr O’Higgins and the witness accepted this.
Mr Howard told the court that he and his brother Robert were watch- ing television in a room at the back of the house on September 27, 2006, when Robert received a call on his mobile phone.
‘Robert told me someone was call- ing to the house and he had the com- puters,” he said.
He said that when the man called to the house, he was looking out the window while his brother talked to the man at the door.
‘Robert told me to call the police. I called them on Robert’s phone. Rob- ert went back out.
“IT went into the side bedroom. They were standing at the side door,” he said.
He said that after the man left the house, he and Robert got into Rob- ert’s jeep and attempted to follow him but they lost sight of him and returned home.
“We were sitting in the jeep. Rob- ert rang PJ. He was in Spain. He was still talking to PJ when the guards came,” he said.
“We went back inside. We were very shocked over it all,” he said.
Asked did he set up the “lyingeyes”’ email, he replied, “No, I did not.”
He told Una Ni Raifeartaigh, BL, prosecuting that he had all his own emails on his own computer, but did not have passwords to other emails.
“Emails are the essence of this case,’ said Ms Ni Raifeartaigh.
Asked was the office computer pro- tected by a password, Mr Howard said, “I don’t believe it was.”
“If she had placed emails on this computer they were there potentially for you to see or for Robert to see,” said Mr O’Higgins, to which he re- plied, “If they were in the Downes and Howard accounts, yes.”
Mark Nicholas, BL, for Essam Eid, put it to Niall Howard that on the night of the man’s visit to their home at Ballaghboy, he was “looking out through a window.”
He accepted this. Mr Nicholas said, “Tm suggesting the man you thought it was is not the man.”