Full Name John Gilligan | Name John Gilligan Role Irish criminal | |
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Born 29 March 1952 (age 72) ( 1952-03-29 ) Dublin, Ireland | ||
John Gilligan (born 29 March 1952) is a convicted Irish criminal. In 2001 he was sentenced to 28 years in prison for the trafficking of commercial quantities of cannabis resin. This sentence was later reduced to 20 years on appeal.
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On 15 October 2013, Gilligan was released after serving 17 years in prison.
Murder of Veronica Guerin
In 2002 Gilligan was tried for, and acquitted of, the murder of the investigative journalist Veronica Guerin. Guerin was reportedly working on a tip-off from an Irish politician who was also prominent in equestrian circles, and was doing investigative reporting about Gilligan's involvement in the illegal recreational drugs trade in Ireland. After she was murdered the Gardaí had at one point more than 100 officers working on the case, which led to 214 arrests, 39 convictions, and 100 confiscations of guns, confiscations of five million pounds' worth of drugs and 6.5 million pounds' worth of property.
However, Gilligan's assets remained frozen by the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB). On 30 January 2006 the High Court cleared the way for the CAB to proceed with an application to have the equestrian centre and other property belonging to the Gilligan family handed over to the State. In January 2008, making a court appearance in an attempt to stop the State from selling off his assets, Gilligan accused John Traynor of having ordered the murder of Veronica Guerin. Despite the presiding judge's attempt to silence Gilligan, he continued to blame a botched Gardaí investigation and alleged that the Gardaí had planted evidence to secure his conviction, leading to his current term of imprisonment. On 19 December 2008 Gilligan lost an appeal for a second hearing by the High Court. Because of the decision the CAB applied to the High Court under the Proceeds of Crime Act to dispose of Gilligan's estate properties.
In November 2012 the courts cleared the final barriers allowing the CAB to sell off the equestrian centre and Gilligan's house at Weston Green, Lucan. In July 2014, after a lengthy challenge, a Supreme Court ruling brought the CAB one step closer to selling off the house adjoining the equestrian centre, retained by Gilligan's wife, as well as additional properties in Blanchardstown and Lucan.
Assassination attempt
On 1 March 2014 at 7.00pm, two gunmen came to the home of Gilligan's brother and went into the house while Gilligan was using the toilet. Paramedics from the Dublin Fire Brigade and Advanced Paramedics from the National Ambulance Service arrived at the scene five minutes later with at least four confirmed hits, in his face, chest, hip and leg. He was rushed to James Connolly Memorial Hospital where he was in a critical state. He was given the last rites as he arrived at James Connolly Memorial Hospital in Blanchardstown but has survived the shooting. It was reported on 14 March that the ammunition used to shoot him matched ammunition that had been stolen from German police a decade earlier.
His bodyguard Stephen Douglas 'Dougie' Moran was shot dead on 15 March 2014 in Lucan.
After the shooting of Moran, Gilligan was discharged from hospital and left the country.
Property Forfeiture
As part of attempts to repress organised crime, including Gilligan's drug trafficking activities, Ireland introduced new civil forfeiture legislation in the wake of the murder of Veronica Guerin, the Proceeds of Crime Act, 1996. Gilligan challenged the constitutionality of the legislation a number of time, including in the Supreme Court of Ireland.