A MAN shot dead outside a Co Down petrol station was locked in a feud with an organisation known as "The Firm", a court heard today.
Prosecutors said Malcolm McKeown had been under threat and warned about his safety before he was gunned down in August 2019.
Details emerged as one of the men charged with his murder secured permission to move back home on bail.
Jake O'Brien (25) of Rectory Park in Lurgan, Co Armagh, is allegedly linked to the shooting by DNA on a glove found close to a getaway car.
He denies involvement in the attack.
McKeown (54) was found dead in his BMW car parked behind the garage on Main Street in Waringstown. He had been shot six times in the head and body.
Police have said the killing is linked to a drugs-related dispute between rival criminal groups.
Disclosing further information at the High Court yesterday, a Crown lawyer said: "The victim was under threat due to his involvement in a long-running feud with an organisation known as The Firm."
McKeown had been cautioned about his personal safety and only obtained the BMW car days before his murder.
As part of security measures he had an arrangement which involved reversing and parking the vehicle beside a local launderette.
According to the prosecution CCTV footage shows a Volkswagen Passat speeding away from the petrol station soon after the shooting.
About ten minutes later that car was set on fire, with two men in boiler suits viewed running away.
Four police officers have examined the CCTV footage and identified O'Brien as being one of the pair, the court heard.
Black latex gloves were also later recovered on a route away from the Passat.
Forensic tests carried out on them revealed a firearm particle and a positive match for O'Brien's DNA, the prosecutor submitted.
In police interviews the defendant denied it was him on the footage.
He confirmed that he worked with vehicles and carried gloves in his van.
O'Brien allegedly stated that his gloves may have blown away because he is untidy.
He had been on bail to live at an "isolated" property outside Lurgan as part of efforts to ensure no contact with the victim's relatives.
But following a family bereavement, O'Brien sought permission to be allowed to return home.
Defence barrister Michael Forde claimed his client's current accommodation was not suitable for habitation.
He argued that O'Brien has exhausted efforts to locate another address.
Granting the bail application, Madam Justice Quinlivan ordered the accused to abide by a curfew.
