11/07/05 - STATEMENT of Patrick Bernard O'MAHONEY

STATEMENT No. 1

Name Patrick Bernard O'Mahoney
Date of birth 15.3.60
Address HMP
Statement taken by Hugh Cauthery
Date of statement 11 July 2005
Matter Ref OMA013

1. I face a 12 count indictment (of which 7 counts specifically relate to me).

2. Count 3 of the proposed indictment states that between 27th and 30th April 2005 I made an unwarranted demand for money and property from James Cottam with menances.

3. Count 4 alleges that on 29th April I made an unwarranted demand for money and goods from James Cottam with menaces.

4. Count 5 alleges that on 29th April 2005 (on a separate occasion) between 9.30 and 10.00 am I made an unwarranted demand for money and goods from James Cottam with menaces.

5. Count 6 alleges that on the same day I made by a series of telephone calls an unwarranted demand for money and property from Kirsty Helen Jones with menaces.

6. Count 7 alleges that on 1st May 2005 I made to James Cottam a threat to kill him intending that he should fear that the threat would be carried out.

7. Count 8 alleges that on 1st May 2005 at 5.15 pm I made by means of a text message an unwarranted demand for money from James Cottam with menaces.

8. Count 9 alleges that on 1st May 2005 I attempted by means of a text message to make an unwarranted demand for money from James Cottam with menaces.

9. Count 10 alleges that on 30th April 2005 between 9.52 am and 10.34 am I made by means of a series of text messages an unwarranted demand for money from Kirsty Helen Jones with menaces.

10. I am not guilty of any of these offences.

11. The first point I should like to make is that the only debt that I was seeking to recover was my own. I deny being employed by Adrian Foster in any way to recover any debt which may have been owed to him. As will become apparent below, the only reason that I mention Foster was that the arrangement was eventually that Foster would carry out the floor laying and other carpentry work which Cottam had contracted to do for me.

12. The background is that Foster and Cottam boh gave me quotes for various types of carpentry work. They were going to do the work together. Because Cottam had only just set up in business, he did not have enough money to buy the materials so I gave him, Cottam, between £1,500.00 and £1,700.00 "up front" to cover the materials and the labour.

13. Both Geordie Shaw and Vinnie King (my son) were present when the money was handed over. They will give evidence on my behalf if necessary.

14. The plan was for Cottam and Foster to work together but Cottam ran off with Kirsty Jones who until then had been Foster's girlfriend and therefore neither man finished the work. I therefore asked Foster to finish the work but he wanted money to do so. I told him that I had already paid Cottam and he said he did not know Cottam had already been paid and that he had not seen any of the money. Foster put a couple of doors on for me in the days after my wife died (early December 2004) to help me out because I did not want my family coming to the house and finding it like a building site.

15. I set out below my comments on some of the early texts from me before the period covered by the indictment. I refer to exhibit page 70 and onwards in respect of the analysis by the witness Ryan Lee Stokoe.

16. On page 78 appears a text from me to Cottam on 27th January 2005 at 1802 hours. This says "Any joy with that floor James. I don't listen to rumour but I have been told you won't do my floor because Geordie has refused to help you. All I want is the floor doing as agreed. Thanks B". Geordie is a friend of both Foster and Cottam and he refused to help Cottam finish the floor because he knew Cottam had gone off with Foster's girlfriend and, because he was friends to both and thought it was wrong, he did not want to get involved.

17. Again on exhibit page 79 of this report there is a message from me on 1st February 2005 at 2049 hours saying "Fucking prick. U reckon u r worried, you meet promise to do my floor, walk around Bourne giving it the big one saying we are pals and then don't bother". I accept I sent that message. What it means is that who does he think he is, he's saying we are friends and then he won't help me out.

18. Similarly, on 11th February 2005 at 854 hours I sent a message which starts "Fuck off you prick". There is a reference to demanding money off me. This means that he was demanding money off me to finish the job after I had already paid. The reference to Billy Jones (who is a friend of mine) is that I understood that they had gone to Billy Jones's to get him to come and threaten me. I know this because he told me. Kirsty Jones, incidentally, denies knowing Billy Jones. This is a lie and I ask that attempts be made to obtain a printout of her itemised telephone bill to prove it.

19. Again in exhibit JC1 (exhibit page 76) I sent a text dated 11th February 2005 at 0854 hours saying "I'm not finished with you yet boy. The way I see it, you owe me. Now fuck off until I decide what happens next". I said this because the job had not been done and he had my money.

20. Also on the same page will be seen a text which says "Put a grand through my letterbox......." This simply meant that he had my money and I wanted it back.

21. Some time after this I lost my mobile phone and I had no way to contact Cottam because his number was in my phone. If necessary Vodaphone should be able to confirm when I reported the loss.

22. On 29th April 2005 I was going to Paris with a friend and my two nieces. On 28th April I contacted Cottam. On a day or so before this I had a conversation with Foster who told me that Kirsty Jones and Cottam had been to Foster's house while he was out on a visit with his son and taken his stuff - the washing machine and other items.

23. It should be borne in mind that Jones and Foster were both friends of mine and my wife (who died in early December 2004). They had both been to our wedding. I was really trying to get my floor finished by Cottam and get Foster his stuff back. I was really trying to be a mediator between Foster and Cottam. I wanted the whole thing sorted out so it could be put to bed. I did not believe that I was acting in a threatening manner. I was just being the middle man between Foster and Cottam. I admit when I spoke to Cottam I was a bit annoyed.

24. Cottam agreed to either complete the work or return the money. I told him I was going to be in Paris and that he didn't even need to see me face to face. The door would be open and he could just go in and complete the work. I can prove the door was left open from Jones's own statement when she says that Foster was ringing her from my house.

25. Kirsty Jones then telephoned me saying "What's it to do with you?" I said to her "He owes me money". I absolutely deny saying that I would cut her throat.

26. Regarding a note through Cottam's door, I wrote it and I asked my mate Alistair McDonald who lives near Cottam to deliver it for me. This he did on or around 2nd May.

27. Toene Shadiya (the friend who was with me in Paris) and heard all the calls I made will give evidence on my behalf.

28. In short, I accept that I sent all the texts. Interestingly, however, the one text that I dispute is the one Cottam says he sent and which I say I did not receive. This is not detailed as being on his phone.

29. There are calls from me to Kirsty but she rang me first and that is how I got her number. I did ring her back. All my calls to her are asking where James is and asking her to get James to ring me. I accept that I made calls to James and he rang me back. I accept the calls were threatening and abusive but they were not blackmail.

30. I return to exhibit JC1 (exhibit page 78). For example at 1825 hours on 29th April I say "/ dare you to grass on me, my man is on his way to teach you about fucking with me". I accept that I said this but it was just "bullshit".

31. Again, on the same page, there is a text at 010505 at 1716 hours which starts
"I am telling you James don't fuck with me or play games........" In it I make reference to spending the day looking for him. I accept that I sent this because I wanted him to finish the job.

32. Also on the same page there is a text at 0930 hours on 29th April 2005 (0931 ?). These were just idle threats.

33. Similarly, on the next page (exhibit page 79) there is a text at 29th April 2005 at 0941 hours. This said "Told you to ring. Fuck you now. You owe me a grand with £500.00 a day interest. Be careful when people ring you to price jobs boy, you won't like who you meet when you get there. You are incapable of doing things easy aren't you, prick?" I accept that I said this. It was meant to be a way to get him to answer his phone.