Watch: Garda killer Aaron Brady’s secret cell tape shared online to intimidate key witness
Murderer posted extracts from interview to social media in bid to intimidate witnesses
Aaron Brady admitted recording sections from the interview
This is the police interview that cop killer Aaron Brady recorded from his prison cell as he tried to stop a witness giving evidence in his trial for the murder of Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe.
Brady (33) this week pleaded guilty to recording the video, which was intended to pervert the course of justice during this 2020 trial for capital murder.
It was part of a campaign by the Crossmaglen man to prevent key witnesses from testifying that he had confessed to the murder on several occasions while on the run in New York.
Aaron Brady's cell phone video that aimed at collapsing State's case
Brady was subsequently found to have been the masked gunman who shot the detective dead during an armed raid at Lordship credit union in 2013, and is serving a life sentence with a minimum of 40 years imprisonment.
Before the trial commenced, Aaron Brady applied to have access to a laptop to review the evidence against him and prepare for the case.
This was later granted and the Irish Prison Service purchased the device for the Armagh native.
He was given access to the large volume of material compiled against him, including the video-recorded statements of key witnesses.
One of them was a Garda interview with Ronan Flynn, a former housemate of Brady in New York,
Ronan Flynn ‘s interview to police was posted on social media
‘Then he’d just spill the beans and everything...’
‘Sayin’ like sure f**k it they shot him and all this’
Ronan Flynn giving his statement to police
During the taped conversations, Flynn told officers that Brady admitted: “I shot him, so what,” adding that the Crossmaglen man admitted to the murder of Detective Garda Donohoe on several occasions.
Flynn had known Brady while living in Ireland and is also a cousin of James Flynn, a man now serving an eight-year jail term for conspiring to steal the getaway car used in the Lordship murder and robbery.
Aaron Brady’s efforts to get at the witness escalated in April 2020 as his murder trial was ongoing.
In his jail cell in Mountjoy Prison he opened his laptop and began playing the recorded video statement given by Ronan Flynn.
It showed the witness in the Bronx police precinct speaking to members of the Garda investigation team; Detective Inspector Mark Phillips, Detective Sergeant Paul Gill, and Sergeant Padraig O’Reilly.
As he watched the video, Aaron Brady took out a recording device and used it to film a number of sections of the witness statement.
In total, four videos were recorded from inside the cell and in one excerpt Brady is heard exclaiming: “Fucking pig’s head”.
A month later, on May 7, gardaí became aware that the video clips were being widely circulated on the WhatsApp messaging app, along with a text.
The message made a number of claims against Ronan Flynn, including that he was “touting on his own cousins that flew him over to America”.
The videos were also shared on Facebook and YouTube, with one comment describing the witness as a “rat”.
Flynn’s family in Ireland were also the target of a campaign of intimidation during the trial.
That day, Brady’s prison cell was searched and members of the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (NBCI) were satisfied that the videos had been recorded by the then murder accused.
As a result of their investigation, Brady had the laptop taken off him, while it was also recommended during the trial that any sensitive documents should be read out to him, rather than him being allowed to review them alone.
The prosecution team believed that it was a clear attempt to intimidate not just Ronan Flynn, but also designed to intimidate any other witnesses who were planning to give evidence in the trial.
Adrian Donohoe was murdered
The efforts by Aaron Brady, and the unidentified persons who further circulated the video, were successful.
Ronan Flynn refused to give evidence in the trial, with the presiding judge, Mr Justice Michael White, saying that this was as a result of “clear intimidation”.
Ultimately, however, it was all in vain.
Two other witnesses living in the United States, Daniel Cahill and Molly Staunton, testified that Aaron Brady admitted to them he carried out the murder of Detective Garda Donohoe.
He was subsequently convicted by a jury of capital murder and the credit union robbery.
Over the last four years, Brady and his family have also been engaged in what was described this week as “vitriolic commentary” against the prosecution lawyers, gardaí, and witnesses in the trial.
They have also vehemently denied that Aaron Brady recorded and shared the video of Ronan Flynn’s witness statement.
Murderer posted extracts from interview to social media in bid to intimidate witnesses
Any doubts about these claims were put to bed at the Special Criminal Court on Thursday when the convicted murderer stood up to be arraigned.
The registrar asked how Brady pleaded to the allegation that he recorded the video of Mr Flynn’s witness statement which had a tendency to, and was intended to, pervert the course of justice.
Aaron Brady simply replied “guilty” to the charge, the first admission in court made by the Crossmaglen criminal in relation to his crimes.
He was remanded in custody, where he continues to serve a life sentence for a minimum of 40 years’ imprisonment for the capital murder of Detective Garda Donohoe.
His sentencing hearing takes place on May 29.
