Drumm trial jury asks to hear phone call tape

THE jury at the trial of ex-Anglo Irish Bank chief, David Drumm, asked to hear a call between him and former Anglo director of treasury John Bowe, during their first hour of deliberations yesterday.

During the phone call, former chief executive Mr Drumm is heard referring to the Financial Regulator as ‘f ***** g Freddie f ***** g Fly’, and said he intended to go to ‘that f ***** g shower of clowns’ at the Central Bank to look for emergency funding for Anglo in late September 2008.

Mr Bowe is named with others as an alleged co-conspirator on Mr Drumm’s indictment. The jury had previously heard the recording last February.

They had briefly begun considering the case yesterday afternoon when they asked for the audio recording of the conversation. They then returned to the jury room to listen to the tape before finishing their first day of deliberations.

Mr Drumm, 51, of Skerries, Co. Dublin, denies conspiring with former bank officials Denis Casey, William McAteer, John Bowe and others to defraud depositors and investors at Anglo by ‘dishonestly’ creating the impression that deposits in 2008 were €7.2billion larger than they were.

He also denies false accounting on December 3, 2008, by furnishing information to the market that Anglo’s 2008 deposits were €7.2billion larger than they were.

Yesterday, Judge Karen O’Connor concluded her charge to the ten men and four women of the jury panel. She said she required a unanimous verdict in relation to both counts. ‘However, you must consider each count separately and can acquit or convict on either or both,’ she added.

The jury will return today at 2pm to continue their deliberations, and were warned not to engage in any research or discussion of the case overnight.