Limerick businessman murdered for standing up to drug dealers

Family of Roy Collins recieved threats from the McCarthy-Dundon gang in recent weeks, writes Ali Bracken

Gárdai believe Roy Collins was killed after refusing to allow members of the McCarthy-Dundon gang deal drugs on his family's premises.

Wayne Dundon

One of the suspects

Detectives investigating the murder of innocent Limerick businessman Roy Collins now believe he was killed after refusing to allow members of the McCarthy-Dundon crime gang deal drugs at his family's amusement arcade and adjoining pub.

Men aged 19 and 22, arrested in the connection with Collins' murder, had their period of detention extended by 72 hours yesterday. Follow-up searches in Limerick are set to continue all weekend.

Gardaí also suspect that a long-held grudge by the criminal gang over Collins' cousin testifying against gangland figure Wayne Dundon in 2005 was a factor in the murder.

The McCarthy-Dundon crime gang have long memories. It's inconceivable that a barman's refusal to serve a 14-year-old alcohol in 2004 could have led to the murder of his cousin five years on.

But this is what initially sparked last week's violent killing – it cemented a deep hatred of the Collins family by Limerick's most dangerous criminal gang.

In recent weeks, there had been run-ins between the murdered man, his family and members of the McCarthy-Dundon gang, as the father-of-two had steadfastly refused to let them sell drugs or hang around the family's business premises.

"There have been run-ins. The Collins family have always stood up these criminals and refused to be intimidated by them," according to a garda source. The refused to succumb to these criminals since day one and have strong views about their criminals activities."

It is understood that gardaí are investigation words exchanged between the dead man's family and the criminals on at least two occasions in recent weeks when they were ordered them off the premises of the Steering Wheel pub.

Limerick, once again, is left to try and shake off its image as a city where a group of criminals kill as they please without regard or fear for the authorities.

Collins was a cousin of Limerick man Ryan Lee, but they were raised as brothers. Collins's father, Steve Collins, became Lee's legal guardian. Lee was working as a barman in Brannigan's pub, Mulgrave Street, Limerick in 2004 when he refused to serve to a 14-year-old girl.

The teenager was the sister of well-known criminal Wayne Dundon, who was with her at the time. He was so enraged that someone dared tell him 'no' that he made a shape of a gun with his hand and pushed it against Lee's face, saying "f*** you, you're dead".

Minutes later, a man wearing a helmet entered Brannigan's pub armed with a sawn-off shotgun. The gunman immediately honed in on Lee and shot him twice in the knee and hip.

The Collins family owned Brannigan's pub where Lee was shot. It was burned down shortly after Wayne Dundon was jailed for threatening to kill Lee and never re-opened. Dundon (31) was sentenced to 10 years in 2005 for threatening Lee, which was later reduced to seven years.

Lee gave evidence in court against Dundon, which ultimately led to his conviction, but no one was ever convicted of shooting the 19-year-old barman.

With remission, Dundon will most likely be back on the streets next year. The violent thug is considered one of the most dangerous criminals to emerge from Limerick.

After Dundon's conviction, it emerged that Lee's girlfriend received a threatening letter the night after the jury was sworn in for the trial. The letter was addressed to Steve Collins, Roy's father.

The letter threatened to attack Collins's staff and his business and also warned him "to look at all the other people that's dead". While these threats were made in 2005, senior gardaí maintain that once the McCarthy-Dundons make a threat, it's never forgotten.

"It's early days in the investigation. We believe Lee Ryan testifying against Dundon was never forgotten but this killing didn't come out of nowhere. Collins had continued to defy them by not allowing them to have free rein of doing as they pleased on his premises," according to a senior officer.

"They hated him and they wanted him dead. He might not have been killed if he hadn't continued to stand up to them. The people responsible for this killing were senior members of the McCarthy-Dundons. They are young men with no education, no class, no minds of their own. They would not have been paid for killing him, unlike Dublin criminals that won't do anything without getting paid. They killed him to keep the others happy and bolster their reputations in the gang."

Gardaí have provided protection to Lee and the rest of the Collins family since Dundon's trial. Stephen Collins spoke to defence minister Willie O'Dea about threats made against him just days before his son's killing.

"I was approached on a number of occasions by Roy Collins' father recently in relation to threats in connection to which he was getting garda protection. But I never realised for a moment that another member of the family could actually be gunned down, somebody who had nothing to do with the original court case," said O'Dea.

One of the men in custody in relation to Collins murder was the person who drove the car used in the murder of innocent rugby player Shane Geoghegan five months ago. Bizarrely, the 19-year-old accepted the Sunday Tribune's 'friend' request which gave us access to his personal Bebo profile in November.

Although the teen was then on the run and hiding in the UK, he was still in constant contact with his family, friends and criminal associates. The web page offers a compelling but disturbing view of the interests of the man, who is from the Prospect area of Limerick and is a senior player in the Dundon-McCarthy gang, despite his youth.

The teenager is fascinated by guns and has photos of more than a dozen lethal weapons, including the Glock 9mm pistol, which was used in the murder of Geoghegan. "The fact that the McCarthy-Dundons are responsible for the killings of two innocent men in Limerick in such a short space of time has solidified them as far more ruthless that the Keane-Collopy gang," according to a garda source.

April 12, 2009

Comments

#1 tommy commented, on April 12, 2009 at 5:11 p.m.:

We need Charles Bronson with a death wish to move to limerick it is the only way . They only laugh at the courts and garda .

#2 Shark Trager commented, on April 12, 2009 at 11:23 p.m.:

I was only thinking that myself Tommy,have to say that scumbag accidentally shooting himself in the head made my day,the State has my full permission to suspend all civil liberties until these dirtbags are all serving life sentences,roll on that day!!will it happen??will it f**k,dogooders will protest that even scum like this have rights,I say you deal in crime drugs and murder you lose any such rights,why should we all be held to ransom by these utterly useless but criminal chavs.

#3 jonny commented, on April 12, 2009 at 11:45 p.m.:

These animals should be put down.

#4 Pat commented, on April 13, 2009 at 10:27 a.m.:

Its time to introduce internment for these scum because our legal system does not work. No more worries about witness intimidation and death threats.

#5 Brian Mc Mullen commented, on April 13, 2009 at 11:56 a.m.:

What ever happened to the Irish ethos of days gone by that would have simply arranged to have all the scum irradicated like vermin.Forget the cops,they are either hamstrung by politics,scared,or both.You need an Elliot Ness brought in from Morocco.It is totally ridiculous that this human hubris be afforded the lee way they have come to accept as the norm.At the end of the day the scum are cowards in the face of a critical mass of angry ordinary law abiding people who could if organised chase them over the cliffs of Moher.Stand up en mass and sort them out.
History is on your side.

#6 Declan commented, on April 13, 2009 at 7:01 p.m.:

Should be an instant 10 year sentence if you are caught with a gun no parole.

#7 Cristina commented, on April 13, 2009 at 9:15 p.m.:

To Shark,#2

I must say your comments to various articles on this website make for interesting reading into the mind of a psychopath.

#8 Shark Trager commented, on April 13, 2009 at 11:30 p.m.:

To Christina
I see you are still unhappy about my comments about deporting the Nigerian woman,just because I am not a bleeding heart PC half wit does not make me a psychopath,it does however make you look like a stalker who has had the rug pulled out from under her and made a fool of by the very same soon to be deported to nigeria ex cause celebre...poor you now take your dunce cap and head to the corner where there is a dictionary,look up the meaning of the word psychopath,then look up the word gullible.

#9 Phil commented, on April 13, 2009 at 11:56 p.m.:

Cristina is a brave woman.
I would not easily like to wind up a bloke
whose Christian name is"Shark"!!

#10 Mark commented, on April 14, 2009 at 2:20 a.m.:

Now we know what happened you Shark, reading between the lines, I gather you were put in the corner at school with a dunce's hat on your head. Yes I see where that might affect the way you think. Poor Shark, you will be all right when you get better. EH Christina!

#11 Bock the Robber commented, on April 14, 2009 at 2:30 p.m.:

So this is the standard of debate we get on the website of a major newspaper.

A criminal gang is challenging the very authority of our state and all the commenters here can do is snipe at each other.

It looks like the mainstream media have a long way to go before they catch up with the established online community.

#12 Phil commented, on April 14, 2009 at 2:36 p.m.:

Psythopath;"person suffering from severe emotional derangment esp one who is aggressive and anti-social"Yep,Im with Cristina on this one!So you like the movies Shark?.."Deathwish"is it..I bet your a big fan of"Taxi Driver".."Lets wash all the scum off the streets"
So what you suggest you do with the drug dealers ie.line em all up against the wall and blow em all away..would you suggest the same remedy for Nigerians and"do-gooders"?
There is another movie Shark,its called"12 Angry Men"I like the bit were this small weedy little bloke with an unashamed prejudice,after talking himself into a corner,is told to sit down"in the corner"and not to open his mouth again.Is this you Shark,or are you just being misunderstood?

#13 Riki commented, on April 14, 2009 at 3:03 p.m.:

Mr.Trager,are you Irish?
You sound like an English football hooligan!

#14 Phil commented, on April 15, 2009 at 2:31 a.m.:

after listening to rte s Primetime earlier in the evening when the words of Steve Collins,father of Roy spoke words of"forgivness"be an inspiration to all of us and the silence afterwards speak volumes for the few who choose this medium to spew up their own sad pathetic predudice!

#15 John commented, on April 15, 2009 at 11:32 a.m.:

Phil,this is a comment section,you may not agree with what is being said but you should agree with the persons right to say it,you are personalizing and hijacking it to snipe at others,frankly it is unseemly behaviour.

#16 Susan commented, on April 16, 2009 at 9:37 a.m.:

such a tragic waste of two young lives when the thugs win makes you wonder where justice lives. Not in Limerick for sure