21 - Veronica Guerin: Gangland Murder of the Media (Part 2)

Mens Rea: A true crime podcast

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True Crime, Society & Culture

4.7 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 19 August 2018

⏱️ 86 minutes

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Summary

Veronica Guerin took on Ireland's booming gangland criminals in 1994, who were flooding the country with cannabis and other illegal substances and engaging in an all out war with their competitors. When she approached John Gilligan, the man in charge, at his home, she set in motion a series of events that would lead to her death, and to the downfall of the criminal set she had set her eyes on. The events of 1994 changed the landscape of organised crime in Ireland forever, as well how the authorities would attempt to curb their enjoyment of their assets. But would they be held responsible for Veronica's death? Podcast Promo this week is from Tara and Barney over at Bloody Murder! a bloody good podcast, discussing lesser-known cases from Australia and abroad, with a good smattering of dark humour. Go give them a try! Find us on Facebook or Twitter! With thanks to our supporters on Patreon! If you would like to support the podcast, head on over to Patreon.com. Theme Music: Quinn’s Song: The Dance Begins by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Sources: Paul Williams, Evil Empire: John Gilligan, his gang and the execution of Veronica Guerin (Merlin: Dublin, 2001). Purchase here Emily O'Reilly, Veronica Guerin: The life and death of a Crime Reporter (Vintage Press: London, 1998) Purchase here Trevor Quinn, “Brian Meehan to spend rest of life in prison over Veronica Guerin murder” in DublinLive.ie https://www.dublinlive.ie/news/dublin-news/brian-meehan-spend-rest-life-12643963 22 February 2017 Emma McMenamy, “Veronica Guerin's killer Brian Meehan caught with drugs in prison” in DublinLive.ie https://www.dublinlive.ie/news/dublin-news/veronica-guerins-killer-brian-meehan-11727788 10 August 2016 Independent NewsDesk, “Veronica Guerin's killer Brian Meehan caught with drugs behind bars” in The Independent https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/crime/veronica-guerins-killer-brian-meehan-caught-with-drugs-behind-bars-34954772.html 10 August 2016 “Brian Meehan loses appeal against Veronica Guerin murder conviction” in The Irish Times https://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/courts/brian-meehan-loses-appeal-against-veronica-guerin-murder-conviction-1.2614660 18 April 2016 Cathal McMahon, “Gardai quizzed killer Brian Meehan over shooting of former mob boss John Gilligan” in The Irish Mirror https://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/crime/gardai-quizzed-killer-brian-meehan-3529498 12 May 2014 Ronan Duffy, “Veronica Guerin's killer has application against his conviction rejected” in thejournal.ie http://www.thejournal.ie/veronica-guerin-murder-appeal-2721091-Apr2016/ 18 April 2016 Christina Finn, “Defence team look for Veronica Guerin's killer says court must look at 'flaw' in original trial”, in thejournal.ie http://www.thejournal.ie/brian-meehan-appeal-veronica-guerin-2456723-Nov2015/ 20 November 2015 Christina Finn, “Veronica Guerin's killer is appealing his conviction for her murder” in thejournal.ie http://www.thejournal.ie/brian-meehan-veronica-guerin-appeal-court-2454499-Nov2015/ 19 November 2015 Ruaidhri Giblin, “Two decades after Veronica Guerin's murder, her killer is appealing his conviction” in thejournal.ie http://www.thejournal.ie/veronica-guerin-murder-conviction-appeal-2171827-Jun2015/ 19 June 2015 Emma McMenamy, “Gangster John Gilligan back socialising in Clondalkin, Dublin – despite failed murder attempt in 2014” in The Irish Mirror https://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/gangster-john-gilligan-back-socialising-12753289 21 June 2018 David Coleman, “Scumbag gangster John Gilligan pictured ' sleeping like a baby' on Spain bound flight from Belfast” in The Irish Mirror https://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/crime/scumbag-gangster-john-gilligan-pictured-12960529 22 July 2018 Nicola Tallant and Allison Bray, “Criminal John Gilligan travelling between Spain and England with new girlfriend who 'loves him more than life'” in The Irish Independent https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/crime/criminal-john-gilligan-travelling-between-spain-and-england-with-new-girlfriend-who-loves-him-more-than-life-37021255.html 18 June 2018 “John Gilligan survives despite being shot up to six times and getting Last Rites” in The Sunday Independent https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/john-gilligan-survives-despite-being-shot-up-to-six-times-and-getting-last-rites-30054258.html 2 March 2014 Conor Feehan, “'He's a nobody now, he's pathetic' – Gilligan is shunned by criminals” in The Evening Herald https://www.herald.ie/news/hes-a-nobody-now-hes-pathetic-gilligan-is-shunned-by-criminals-36292268.html 6 November 2017 Gary Meneely, “Gaff for sale – See inside notorious crime boss John Gilligan's bungalow on the Kildare border – as seven-bed gaff seized by CAB goes on the market for €120K” in The Irish Sun https://www.thesun.ie/news/1375405/see-inside-notorious-crime-boss-john-gilligans-bungalow-on-the-kildare-border-as-seven-bed-gaff-seized-by-cab-goes-on-the-market-for-e120k/ 9 August 2017 Recorded Crime Statistics, Central Statistics Office https://www.cso.ie/en/statistics/crimeandjustice/ Kathy Donaghy, “Trusted ' Hippo' glorified in mud of Gilligan's Empire” in The Irish Independent https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/trusted-hippo-gloried-in-mud-of-gilligans-empire-26056073.html 23 March 2002 Kevin McHugh “John Gilligan sends menacing threat to former right-hand-man John Traynor” in DublinLive.ie https://www.dublinlive.ie/news/dublin-news/john-gilligan-sends-menacing-threat-13941304 23 November 2017 Jim Cusack, “A woman in the way of a drug baron's ambitions” in The Irish Independent https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/a-woman-in-the-way-of-a-drug-barons-ambitions-26420738.html 3 February 2008 Breda Heffernan, “Gangster Traynor denies setting up murder of crime reporter Guerin” in The Irish Independent https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/gangster-traynor-denies-setting-up-murder-of-crime-reporter-guerin-29298336.html 27 May 2013 Henry McDonald, “Dublin Gangland boss John Traynor arrested in Netherlands” in The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/sep/02/john-traynor-arrested-in-netherlands 2 September 2010 Gary Meneely, “THE GODFATHER – Veronica Guerin murder suspect John 'The Coach' Traynor comes out of hiding and returns to Ireland for father's funeral” in The Irish Sun https://www.thesun.ie/news/2134091/veronica-guerin-murder-suspect-john-the-coach-traynor-comes-out-of-hiding-and-returns-to-ireland-for-fathers-funeral/ 4 February 2018 Conor Feehan, “Drink-driving charge for gilligan gagn thug Ward” in The Evening Herald https://www.herald.ie/news/drinkdriving-charge-for-gilligan-gang-thug-ward-27967702.html 29 Novemeber 2010 Independent News Desk, “'Hippo' Ward jailed for driving offence” in The Sunday Independent https://www.pressreader.com/ireland/sunday-independent-ireland/20161016/281586650120243 16 October 2016 Louise Roseingrave, “Man died after drink and drugs binge with uncle Paul 'Hippo' Ward”, in The Irish independent https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/courts/man-died-after-drink-and-drugs-binge-with-uncle-paul-hippo-ward-35402732.html 27 January 2017 “The grimy path from children's court to murdering for money” in The Irish Times https://www.irishtimes.com/news/the-grimy-path-from-children-s-court-to-murdering-for-the-money-1.219606 28 November 1998 Conor Lally, “Criminal underworld has radically changed in Gilligan's years behind bars” in The Irish Times https://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/criminal-underworld-has-radically-changed-in-gilligan-s-years-behind-bars-1.1560819 15 October 2013. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veronica_Guerin#Murder https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Cahill https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Gilligan_(criminal) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Ireland_Forum

Transcript

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0:00.0	You're listening to the mens rea podcast and this is part two of the story of
0:07.1	Veronica Gereen. The Oh, Last time on mens rea we met the men who ran Ireland's organized crime gangs in the early
0:49.5	1990s. John Gilligan, a small violent man, had gone from robbing warehouses and factories to armed robberies and
0:58.8	tiger kidnappings. He was volatile and vicious and protective of himself, his large 70-acre home-come
1:06.8	equestrian center, and his business, the import of cannabis resin.
1:17.0	John trainer aka the coach was his associate. He dealt with the financials and had a strong background in fraud.
1:22.0	He'd been involved in Irish gangland for nearly as long as it had existed and had long associations with the likes of the general.
1:32.0	After Martin Cahill, the general was shot, the two men really ramped up their drug smuggling and
1:39.3	were bringing in hundreds of kilos of hash every couple of weeks as their empire grew and they
1:45.4	accumulated a gang of fixers, enforcers, bag men, money counters, couriers and
1:51.4	dealers of their much sought-after product.
1:55.0	It was this world that Veronica Gereen journalist for the Sunday Independent strode into.
2:04.1	Her approach to report in crime was to get it from the horse's mouth, even if the horse was
2:09.2	known to be a gun-wielding criminal with dodgy morals at best.
2:13.7	She doorstep these guys and insult them, call them cowards until she finally goaded them into speaking
2:19.4	to her.
2:21.0	And then she was sure to try and keep on their good sides.
2:24.0	They were her product after all.
2:27.0	But she went too far.
2:30.0	She went to Gilligan's home, and doorstep the leader of this new empire, and he beat her for her audacity.
2:39.0	But Veronica would not be cowed and refused to withdraw her statements against the man.
2:45.0	She would see him in court for the assault if he wouldn't answer her questions about where
	...

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