Prison alert for bid to poison Bowden

GARDAI and prison authorities are taking elaborate precautions to block a
bid to poison key murder trial witness, Charlie Bowden.

Bowden, a vital State witness in the Garda case against selfconfessed
Veronica Guerin murder suspect and alleged drug trafficker, John Gilligan
and other associates, is kept under roundtheclock watch in his cell at
Arbour Hill.

Special precautions to prevent an attempt to poison his food have been
introduced since detectives learned that a plan to kill him while he was in
jail had been discussed by underworld figures. However, senior Garda
officers said they had not been able to find evidence to suggest a firm
plan had been hatched but decided to step up precautionary measures.

Bowden is one of a number of witnesses with criminal links who have agreed
to give evidence on behalf of the prosecution in the cases against Gilligan
and his associates.

Two, including Bowden, are under guard in the first ever State witness
protection programme.

But the extreme precautions taken by the Garda emergency response unit to
protect Bowden during his appearance in the Special Criminal Court on
Wednesday are expected to be reviewed before he is sentenced on drugs and
firearms offences on October 8.