Brian Meehan will find out this morning if his conviction for the murder of journalist Veronica Guerin is to be declared a miscarriage of justice.

The 47-year-old, from Crumlin in Dublin, was jailed for life in 1999 for his part in her assassination.

Self-confessed accomplice Russell Warren, who is now a protected witness, swore under oath that Brian Meehan was the driver of the motorbike carrying the pillion passenger who opened fire on Veronica Guerin as she sat in her car on the Naas Road in June 1996.

He said he had followed her from Naas District Court and was in constant phone contact with both Meehan and John Gilligan, who was later acquitted of her murder.

A woman backed up Mr Warren’s story by placing him at the courthouse that day, but it emerged during Gilligan’s trial that she failed to pick him out of an ID parade shortly after the shooting.

His defence claims this was a new fact that should result in his conviction being declared a miscarriage of justice.

The State claims the evidence was made available to his legal team, but was not appreciated by them at the time.

A judgement is due later this morning.