THE ex-husband of jailed 'Lying Eyes' Sharon Collins was sacked from his job as a security company manager for allowing an employee to sleep in his office, a court has heard.

Dublin Civil Circuit Court heard that Noel Collins was fired after permitting a security guard to sleep the night in a Dublin city centre office block shared by Anglo Irish Bank and the ESB while he waited to start a 6am shift, a judge heard yesterday.

Operations manager Mr Collins, (46) ex-husband of 'Lying Eyes' Sharon Collins, had allowed the security guard to remain on the premises, despite having been told he smelled of alcohol and had deactivated an alarm to get in.

The court heard that when Top Security control room staff noticed the breach in security a supervisor had gone to St Stephen's Court to investigate.

Supervisor Darren Bailey said that as he searched offices at 2am on November 7, 2006, the security guard concerned had stepped out and explained he had decided to sleep there until his shift started. He had contacted Mr Collins at his home. Tom Mallon, counsel for Mr Collins, of Drynam Drive, Kinsealy, Co Dublin, said the security guard had been using the offices as a doss house. He claimed to have had a few drinks and would have been unable to get to his home in the country and back in time for his shift.

Suspended

Mr Mallon said Mr Collins, who had decided to allow the security guard stay on the premises because there was no-one else to take over his shift and open up the office block, had been suspended the following day, November 7, 2006. The security guard involved had been sacked.

The court heard that prior to the security breach, Mr Collins had learned of a newspaper advertisement seeking to fill a job position similar to his own with Top Security, Westgate House, Ballymount Road, Dublin. Having taken legal advice he had decided not to engage in an investigation process by Top Security.

The court was told Mr Collins had been dismissed on November 17, 2006. At the Employment Appeals Tribunal he was awarded €20,000 damages for unfair dismissal, which was appealed to the Circuit Civil Court yesterday.

Top Security boss Oliver Duggan told the court he believed Mr Collins had committed a serious breach of conduct.

Mr Collins's former wife Sharon Collins was last year convicted of a charge of conspiracy to murder her partner PJ Howard and have his two sons killed by a Las Vegas hitman.

- Ray Managh