'COLD AND CALCULATED GUNNING DOWN' Accused, 25, denies he shot victim dead as he sat in car.

Byline: BY GARY ANDERSON 

A MAN was shot twice in the head in an "execution-style" killing, a court heard yesterday.

Frank Ryan, 21, was gunned down as he sat in his car near his home in Moyross, Limerick, in September 2006.

There was tight security as Gary Campion, 25, went on trial for murder at the Central Criminal Court sitting at Cloverhill.

Campion, who wore a grey and pink pinstriped suit, denies the murder.

Prosecutor Aileen Donnelly told the court the victim was "no angel" but still had a right to life. She said the attack was "a cold, calculated, gunning down" and it was clear the shooter had intended to kill.

Ms Donnelly said Mr Ryan was out "spinning" in his car on the day he died.

The prosecution claims Campion got into the car and shot the victim from the back seat and once from outside the vehicle.

The court will also hear evidence from Erol Ibrahim who was in the car with Mr Ryan.

Ms Donnelly said a postmortem showed the bulllets entered Mr Ryan's skull through the back of his left ear and exited through his right cheekbone and right temple.

Garda photgrapher Liam Lynam took pictures of shell casings - one on the floor of the car and another on the back seat.

And he indicated to the jury of six men and six women where Mr Ryan's blood had spattered on the car seats.

Statements were read to the court from Limerick paramedics, who told how they realised Mr Ryan had no chance of survival.

Fr Frank O'Dea testified how he arrived at the murder scene at around midnight and said prayers for the victim.

A number of locals gave evidence of seeing Mr Ryan - known as Frankie - either near his home or driving his Toyota Carina in the hours before his death.

Student Patrice Smith told the court she was shocked when she heard about the killing because she had seen the victim at a local shop just a few hours earlier.

Natasha McNamara said she saw Mr Ryan in the car with his girlfriend Samantha Hughes at a Shell garage in Moyross on the day of the murder.

The trial before Mr Justice Paul Carney is expected to last until May.

CAPTION(S):

DAY IN COURT Gary Campion denies he murdered Frank Ryan; SCENE Body of Frank Ryan is placed in hearse