Authors: Joanne Clancy
The
legal teams began their negotiations the following day and it was standing room only in the courtroom. It was quite a small room on the second floor of the courthouse as nobody could have foreseen the amount of inter
e
st wh
ich the case would generate
. It was modern and unimposing
with large window
s
overlooking
the River Liffey. Although the traffic was mut
ed by double-
glazing, the
windows gave an
impression of a world outside. However, t
he courtroom did not accommodate in any real or practical way the hoards of witnesses who were jostling for space with reporte
rs and the families of the vict
im
s
and the accused. Space rapidly became limited.
Savannah sat next to the door with a prison officer sitting on either side of her. Mark sat on the same bench with police officers and detectives. Then came Penelope, Shona and Rebecca; the victims of the appalling conspiracy. They were sitting beside the Public Relations
a
dvisor who they'd hired for the proceedings and were surrounded by the reporters who had managed to fight their way to some seats. The temperature was rapidly rising in the
cramped surroundings as Judge Enright
appeared
.
T
he defence teams waited while Mr. Clifford
once again took the floor to continue his opening speech f
or the Prosecution. He repeated
the main facts of the case but this time went into much more detail. He described the robbery of the computer
s
and painting
s
at the offices of M&R Photography and gave an account of the strained relationship between Mark and Rebecca following the revelation of h
is affairs some months previously. The emails between “
devils-revenge
” and “assassin_hire”
were read aloud to give an accurate idea of the depths of the
conspiracy before the jury. Mr. Clifford
highlighted the flirtatious tone of the emails and ran through the main witnesses who the jury would be hearing from. The reporters scribbled frantically in their notebooks while the
two
accused sat
still, staring straight ahead in the oppressive heat.
When t
he judge sent the jury to
lunch, everyone else got stiffly to their feet. The room quic
k
ly emptied as people poured into the corridor outside, enjoying the fresh air and the ability to stre
tch their cramped legs. They
seemed slightly dazed from a morning of being bombarded with information, but there was plenty more to come.
After lunch the spectators gathere
d again and were taken through the remaining emails by the barrister.
Lined up against the back wall, squashed onto the only bench available for non-legal people, were the two accused. They sat uncomfortably close to their intended victims,
who were listening intently to the litany of evidence which was piling up.
Mr. Clifford
then moved on to the terms of
the contract and the cut price “bargain” deal which
was
coldly
negotiated for the m
urder of three people. T
he
co-conspirators and their victims
didn’t betray
even
a flicker of emotion as the reporters glanced back and forth between them, looking for some colour for their columns.
The hours dragged by. The heat was stifling in the airless room and still the opening speech wore
on.
“
My apologies for the length and detail of
my speech,” Mr. Clifford
was finally r
eaching the end. “
I realise that I have given an unusually detailed account of the evidence again
st the two accused but we
wanted to demonstrate the strength of our case. The stories told by both accused are
lies and confabulation.”
The courtroom clock was chiming five o'clock by the time he finished and the
day's proceedings had ca
me to a close. The jury went home that night with an idea of what was ahead of them but for Mark and Savannah it was a daunting first day. There hadn't been a single wit
n
ess yet
but the
newspapers painted a damning picture indeed.
Chapter 12
The following day t
he courtroom was still as hot and overcrowded as it had been for the opening speech and it was decided that one of the main courtrooms on the ground
floor would be better suited to
the trial. Space was no longer at a premium
downstairs
and the victims were spared having to sit on the same bench as the accused. Savannah arrived, laughing and chatting with the prison officers, and took her seat at the far end of the bench while Mark sat at the opposite end. Penelope, Shona and Rebecca sat two rows behind the barristers while behind them the public galleries were full of reporters and police. They craned forward to hear what was going on as the lawyers studiously ignored the microphones placed on their table to counteract the room's less than perfect acoustics.
Daniel William
s
was the first witness to be called by the Prosecution and his
evidenc
e was vital to the
case. He sat quietly while the barristers argued but he was secure in the knowledge that he had full immunity. His nerves became more and more apparent as the days dragged on. Savannah was noticeably aware of his presence, knowing exactly what was coming when he took the stand. Every
now and then, she
glance
d
surreptitiously
at him. When he finally took the stand it was to a packed courtroom. Everyone knew that this was the main event, t
he most damning witness in the P
rosecution's arsenal.
The
courtroom quickly
filled with people as word
spread like wildfire about the bizar
re and gripping opening speech
of the previous day. Everyone was talking about the incredible allegations and the conspiracy to murder
which had begun to unfold.
There was a hum of exci
tement
as the crowd took their seats and waited for the next instal
l
ment. The courtroom was already gripped and the momentu
m was flowing as Daniel Williams
took the stand. Given the spectacular reference to poison in the
previous day's opening speech
the
evidence from Savannah Kingston
'
s
accomplice was bound to be dramatic, compelling and of paramount importance. The star witness didn't fail to deliver as he coolly told the court that he and Savannah had manufactured ricin in their home in London and had then transported it to Ireland. However, very few of those in attendance were prepared for the sensational details that were about to be revealed.
Daniel took to
the witness box with a great show of humility
.
Wearing black trousers and a grey shirt w
ith
his dark hair gelled back he
stead
ied himself
before speaking quietly into t
he microphone in front of him.
He barely glanced at his former lover, al
l his attention was focused on the barrister as he
led him through his evidence. His voice was calm a
s he laid out the
incriminating evidence against Savannah and Mark
.
The entire courtroom was on the edge of their seats listening to every word he had to say.
London
native, Daniel Williams
, lon
g-term partner of Savannah Kingston
, gave evidence over a two hour period. The ju
ry was advised that Mr. Williams
had been given immunity from prosecution in the case on the basis that he would give evidence in the trial and that the decision was uncondit
ion
al and irrevocable. He
was questioned and cross-examined at length and his replies were always
delivered in a monotone, giving
the impression that he was almost bored by the entire situation. The line of questioning became intense at times and he was accused of being a fraudster and a liar. However, nothing seemed to perturb him and
he kept his cool throughout, remaining
categorical in his sometimes bizarre assertions.
"What is the nature of your relationship with Savannah Kingston?"
Mr. Clifford
began his
cross-examination.
"We met in
London
in 2005 where Savannah was a hostess for the nightclub which I frequented," Daniel replied calmly. "We moved in together a few months later."
"Was this an intimate relationship?"
Mr. Clifford
asked.
"Yes."
"Have you ever previously visited Ireland?"
"Yes. I
was in Ireland
last April with Richard Delaney, Savannah’s friend
. We were
supposed to kill Penelope and Shona. Savannah had
a website, Assassin for Hire
. She received a contract from Mark to arrange a contract to kill his wife and the two women. They corresponded and he sent her a deposit."
The enti
re courtroom listened in stunned
silence to Daniel's evid
ence. The evidence had been mentioned
in the opening speech to the jury but it was even more real to hear it directly from a key civilian witness who had been close to one of the defendants.
"Did you see any of the email correspondence?"
Mr. Clifford
continued.
"Yes, Savannah showed me the emails."
"Were there telephone calls between Mark and Savannah?"
"Mark called her several times and she called him back."
"Did you hear Mark speaking on the telephone?"
"I heard his voice. He had a strong Irish accent and spoke very fast. Savannah had to ask him to slow down so she could understand."
"What was the email address?"
"
It was “d
evils-revenge
”.
"
"Was a package sent to your house in
London
?"
"Yes, but I was at work when the money arrived. Savannah signed for it."
"What happened next?"
"The next stage was Savannah getting in contact with Richard and organising the hit."
"How was this going to happen?"
"The plan was that Richard would poison the two women. I travelled to Ireland at the end of April and Rich
ard arrived a day later.
We walked to the street where M&R Photography was located. Richard wanted to know exactly where the business was situated and we knew where to find it from Mark's directions. Richard had his own plans for completing th
e job. He had several pills which
could cause a heart attack or kill. The medication could easily have been put into a drink and been
undetected but he
decided
that
the plan wasn't feasible and he left the next day. I stayed in Ireland for a few more days and then I went to France."
Mark McNamara, who was sitting in the dock, seemed increasingly uncomfortable as
he listened to Daniel’
s evidence. His usually
composed, confident facade was beginning to slip. He wrote furiously on a notepad as the witness tol
d his story and then handed his notes
to his lega
l team. It was plain to see
his concern was moun
ting as the unstoppable
Mr.
Williams
continued.
"Why did you go to France?"
Mr. Clifford
asked.
"
Savannah
wanted me to look around and verify the information about the location of the apartment
.
”
"Who owned the apartment
?"
Mr. Clifford
probed.
"It was t
he McN
amaras' apartment in St. Malo
," Daniel answered promptly.
"Where was Savannah?"
"She was still in
London
. I was in constant communication with her and re
ported everything back. She
wanted me to verify that there was an inte
rnet cafe located in St. Malo,
so I checked out the area. Eventually, I
found it and sat outside the cafe which faced the apartment.
I was hoping to see Mark or Rebecca.
I bought a
drink and kept an eye on the tower, searching for a familiar fac
e
from the photograph
s which Mark had sent. I
developed a headache and began to feel ill and increasingly une
asy.
Maybe
it was jet lag
or nerves,
but the full weight of what we were planning
came crashing down on me
,
so I went back to the hotel. I stayed for a while in the
air-conditioned room before packing and checking out.
The whole idea of killing someone was starting to get to me so I decided to return home to
London
."