belfasttelegraph

Saturday 18 May 2013

U2 star gives evidence in court

U2 bass guitarist Adam Clayton arrives at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court

U2 star Adam Clayton has begun giving evidence against his former personal assistant accused of embezzling 2.8 million euro of his funds.

Taking to the stand, the bassist joked he was not used to being in front of a microphone.

"I'm more of a 'dum, dum, dum', but I will practise my technique," said the musician, who has been a member of U2 for 30 years.

His former PA, Carol Hawkins, is on trial for stealing cheques from the bassist over a four-year-period. The 48-year-old worked for Clayton for 16 years from 1992.

The mother-of-two listened attentively as Clayton, dressed in a navy jacket and grey shirt, was grilled on their working relationship and details of his bank account.

The defendant was a signatory on two of his accounts.

It was from these accounts that Ms Hawkins stands accused of drawing 181 cheques and lodging them into her own bank and financing a lavish lifestyle.

Prosecution barrister, senior counsel Colm O'Briain, previously told the Circuit Criminal Court in Dublin that Ms Hawkins lodged the money into her own personal account, a joint account with her then husband John Hawkins and a credit card account, between 2004 and 2008.

Clayton told the court that his employee "had my absolute trust. We had been together a long time - working together. She had been very conscientious," he added.

Ms Hawkins, from Lower Rathmines Road in Dublin, denies all the charges.

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Taurus:

This isn't a good time to make travel plans. Weather conditions and work responsibilities have a way of wreaking havoc with your schedule. Wait another few days before putting down a hefty deposit. Working behind the scenes will yield significant rewards. If someone asks you to serve as their assistant, go ahead and accept. The pay will be excellent and there will be a lot of fringe benefits, too. Don't talk about a neighbour's private life in mixed company.More