Authors: Joanne Clancy
Savannah Kingston was also charged with conspiring to kill the three women and had to face additional charges of demanding the money with menaces from Penelope Garrett, robbing the office of M&R Photography and handling stolen goods.
However, Savannah's barrister
complained that his client had
been locked up in jail since her
o
riginal arrest
and the incarceration had not been easy for her. He argued that it was unfair to keep her incarcerated while Mark had only been recently arrested. He warned the judge that his client was becoming withdrawn and depressed and that her health was deteriorating alarmingly. She had diabetes and her condition wasn't being helped by her stint in prison. He demanded that his client's rights should be
recognised and that she be released as soon as possible. However,
Savannah remained in prison while the Book of Evidence was assembled.
Chapter 10
It was a bright summer’s morning in the vibrant tourist town of Westport, County Mayo. There w
asn't a cloud in the clear blue sky and the sea was calm and still
.
The summer season was in full swing and the tourists who sat outside the pleasant cafes which dotted the sea front were in bu
oyant mood. Most people
enjoying their
early morning coffee
were utterly oblivious to the fact that the latest sitting of the town's District Court was about to take pl
ace. Westport's District Court wa
s in session only six t
imes a year and the court list wa
s usually short; generally lasting no more than a few hours. Offences mainly consist
ed
of public order cases, road traffic charges and the occasional licensing dispute.
However, this
was no ordinary day in Westport. Police cars already clogged the streets around the t
iny, slightly dilapidated court
house, and inside, the seats were already full of eager spectator
s.
Television crews and photographers were in place, anxious to be at the forefront of the unfolding action.
This was the morning that police had been
anxiously awaiting
. An extensive and c
omplex investigation had at long last
brought charges of conspi
racy to murder against business
man Mark McNamara and nightclub hostess, Savannah Kingston; a very unlikely pair!
A noisy posse of photographers and journalists had gathered around the courtho
use; all waiting impatiently
for the arrival of Mark and Savannah. The previous afternoon Savannah had been due to go on tr
ial
charged with extortion and burglary, but the charges were dropped by the prosecution. She was released and immediately arrested again, charged with conspir
acy to murder. It
was this sudden change in events w
hich caught the attention of the media.
The arrival of Mar
k and Savannah at the
courthouse sparked a flurry of excitement among the waiting photographers an
d television crews. Savannah entered
the courtroom, neatly dressed in a knee-length skirt and matching tailored jacket. Her face was pale and tear-streaked and devoid of any makeup. Penelope and Shona stared at the petite blonde woman, amazed that this apparently meek woman could be involved in a devious murder plot.
Mark sat opposite her, flanked by two police officers. He wore a dark suit and tie with a blue shirt which emphasised his tanned skin. He glanced at Savannah and muttered under his breath. Rebecca watched her husband
carefully
. She knew he was a lot of things but she still found it
difficult to believe he
wanted her dead. There was no way he would want his children to be without their mother and h
e'd done everything possible to gain he
r forgiveness for his affairs
. She didn't know how she would
have coped without him when post-natal
depression had taken its dark grip on her. There was a time when she'd thought th
ey might even be friends
! How could the man who she'd loved for so long have turned into such a monster? It was mind-boggling.
Rebecca remembered the many happy times
they'd shared in Westport throughout
the years. They'd spent lots of
weekends socialising in the t
own and had enjoyed
sailing on Westport Bay with Christopher when he was a small boy. She didn't want to believe the allegations against her husband. He had always enjoyed the high life but was he really willing to go to such extreme lengths for money? It was only one of the many intriguing questions which Rebecca would ask herself over the following weeks of the gripping trial.
Mark denied the charges brought against him while Savannah had nothing to say in response to the charges brought against her. Both accused were remanded in custody but Mark’s lawyer said he would be applying to the High Court for bail at the earliest opportunity.
No sooner had Mark and Savannah left Westport on their way to prison than news spread like wildfire of the sensational story.
The gossips quickly turned the story from fairy tale
to local legend. Rumours crept
like mould in the damp humidity of the summer, the wettest for many years. However, when the media descended they were met with polite
smiles and stone walls. Westport
was too small a place to share gossip without having one eye open to see who was listening.
Prosperity may be apparent in
some of
the narrow twisting streets left over from medieval times but the popu
lation of Westport is still only six thousand
, many of the
m immigrants who have flocked
there over the years. There are those who mutter darkly about
the town
becoming more cosmopolitan, who cli
ng to the old Westport
where decades were needed before an interloper from the next parish became one of their own. But the story that had hit the head
l
ines did not concern any recent arrival. R
ebecca and Mark were well-know and popular in the community and t
heir story was received with a mixt
ure of embarrassment and shock. A few people rubbed
their hands over the jui
cy scandal but most
shook their heads in wonder.
For all of its new-found multi
culturalism no
t much had changed in Westport over the boom years.
The big supermarkets had only opened in the last few years and greengrocers still thrived a
mong the narrow streets while t
he regu
lar market stalls
on
the main
street wer
e still going strong. T
he pubs sported wood
-
panelling and old Guinness signs with floors of flag stones or tattered red carpets.
Westport
was
clearly feeling the failing fortunes of a flagging economy, although the tourists still stream
ed
into tow
n. The maze of streets hid
the nume
rous for sale signs and there was consternation when
several wel
l-established businesses failed
, but the boutique clothes shops remain
ed
. They cater
ed
for th
e ladies who lunch and there were many lunching in Westport. Several shops had dresses which sold for thousands of euro. They were
not the shops that fear
ed
clos
ure as the penny-
pinching began; their patrons who didn
’t need to worry abo
ut where the next pay cheque was
com
ing from.
Mark enjoyed a powerful social standing which he enjoyed flaunting and there were many who had stories about his lord of the manor attitude.
The locals knew Mark enjoyed the
high life but few could comprehend
what had happened in court that morning. Nobody wanted to believe the allegations aga
inst him. Many of the
questions asked around the town that summer’s day would present shocking answ
ers in the weeks of the fascinating
trial which would take place in Dublin’s Four Court
s; the highest court in Ireland
.
Chapter 11
Finally, the much awaited opening day of the trial arrived. It was the final showdown. Mark's letters and pleas had fallen on deaf ears and the only thing left
for him to do was
try to charm the jury. The airless courtroom was packed with lawyers, police, the accused and the general public with members of the media pushing forward, straining to hear what was going on. Hoards of barristers had gathered for the day to day business of the courts, ensuring that every legal detail had been dealt wi
th before the case came before the judge and jury
.
The wooden benches were packed with the rather be
mused jury panel who were staring
at the organised chaos which was exploding around them. Mo
st were there unwillingly and were
waiting
impatiently
for their chance to explain to the judge why they couldn't perform their civic duty. Others were glancing around anxiously, trying to spot the accused people among the crowd. Some were trying to guess at the story they would watch unfolding in front of them. They ch
atted amongst each other, attempting
to work out if any of the stories which they'd read in the
news
papers would be pres
ented for their entertainment. “
Jury service may be an important part of the justice system but I have b
etter things to do than waste
my time watching something
boring,”
one woman sighed.
Several people glanced in Mark's direction. He cut quite a dashing character in his dark suit and could easily have been mistaken for one of the lawyers. Savannah was a petite blonde presence who sat smiling easily while her lawyer stood a short distance away
,
deep in last minute discussions with the rest of the
legal team. The juror
s
surveying the courtroom, trying to ascertain the accus
ed parties, didn't even notice
her. A few reporters
who were
gathered glanced curiously in Mark's direction but the case had barely registered in the media's c
onsciousness. The newsrooms were
slow to get
excited about a conspiracy which
had failed to lead to murder.
However, when the case was called there was a small murmur of interest throughout
the thronged
courtroom as the two accused answered the charges against them. This was the first time that most people had had the opportunity to get a good look at Savannah as she was led f
orward by two prison officers; o
n pure face value, she certainly did
not
seem like a likely
assassin.
Mark half-heartedly stepped forward. Even at that early stage he certainly had no wish to stand beside his co-accused. They both st
ood and stared straight ahead while
the
charges against them were read aloud.
There was a brief pause which allowed them to say whether the
y were guilty or innocent. T
he crowd
was beginning to have an inkling of the
extent of the allegations but couched in dry legal terms the full impact of t
he case still hadn't been made.
When Savannah a
nd Mark had denied
the char
ges being made against them, Edward Clifford
, the State's senior barrister, stood up and cleared his throat to begin his opening speech.
“
The jury has a right to know exactly what they are
letting themselves in for,” he
began, addressin
g Judge Charles Enright. “
This will be a long and complex trial and we estimate that it will take a month. I will run through the main points of the case so the jurors
know what they will be facing.” Judge Enright
raised an eyebrow
at the barrister’s dramatic tone
but nodded his consent.
As Mr. Clifford’s
speech progressed and the details of the case were o
utlined, everyone stared at Mark
in shocked curiosity but he gazed straight ahead and ignored their interest.
By the time
the barrister
finally resumed his seat, the room was agog and the chances of finding a jury who would stay the distance had just increased exponentially!