Latest news with #VeronicaGuerin
Daily Mail
07-07-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Pictured: Campaigning journalist Veronica Guerin's killer strolls in summer sunshine as he enjoys his first steps of freedom on day release from prison after 26 years
Strolling in the Summer sunshine on a street in Crumlin, south Dublin, this is the man who murdered campaigning journalist Veronica Guerin, enjoying his first steps of freedom on day release after 26 years. Gangland enforcer and getaway driver Brian Meehan was part of a two-man hit team who struck to silence the fearless reporter on June 26, 1996, in a shooting which would shock the entire nation and usher in a new era of law enforcement. Her life was portrayed in the eponymous 2003 Hollywood movie starring Cate Blanchett, Colin Farrell and Ciaran Hinds. Known for her fearless coverage of Ireland's drug underworld, Veronica Guerin, 37, was shot dead in broad daylight while stopped at a traffic light on the Naas Road in Dublin. Her murder, chilling in its audacity, would not only spark national outrage but ultimately lead to the downfall of some of Ireland's most powerful criminal empires -including the conviction of Meehan, who was the getaway driver. Guerin, a mother of one, was a reporter for the Sunday Independent and had carved out a reputation as one of Ireland's most courageous journalists. While many in the media avoided naming or even hinting at the identities of Dublin's criminal figures, Guerin went further. She didn't just allude - she investigated, reported, and exposed. Using her disarming charm and sharp intellect, she infiltrated the world of drug barons and gangland bosses, attending court hearings, knocking on doors in inner-city housing estates, and confronting major players face-to-face. Her work put her in grave danger. In 1995, she was shot in the leg after answering her front door. Her home was routinely watched. Her phone rang with anonymous threats. But she refused to back down. One of the men her work repeatedly targeted was John Gilligan, a ruthless drug trafficker who had risen through the ranks to become one of Ireland's most feared gangland figures. Guerin was on the brink of publishing an exposé linking Gilligan directly to his vast drug enterprise when she was murdered. Gilligan was subsequently charged with Veronica's murder but acquitted. Meehan, now greying and in his late 50s, with a beard, was given a life sentence on his conviction in 1999. He was the getaway driver of the Kawasaki motorbike, and a second man, the late Patrick 'Dutchy' Holland, pulled the trigger. Holland was never charged with Ms Guerin's murder due to lack of evidence, but gardaí named him in a subsequent drugs court case as the man who pulled the trigger. Holland denied it up until his death in an English prison at 70 years of age in 2009. Earlier this year, Meehan was moved to an 'independent living unit' on the grounds of Shelton Abbey Prison in Co Wicklow, and enjoys day releases, ahead of a potential full release from jail. As our exclusive photograph shows, he has also been allowed out of the open prison to attend training courses as well as for social meetings, and visited the home of his elderly parents last week. Meehan who was seen with grey hair, in his late 50s, sporting a beard, was given a life sentence on his conviction in 1999 The move into an independent living unit is seen as another step closer to freedom for Meehan, who has enjoyed playing golf since entering Shelton Abbey in 2021. In 2017, Meehan lost a final appeal to overturn his conviction. Meehan's case is believed to be coming before the Irish Parole Board soon, and Ms Guerin's brother Jimmy was asked if he wanted to make a statement, but declined. Mr Guerin, who is an independent councillor on Fingal County Council, told the Sunday Independent in May that he 'didn't want to get into that process'. 'We went through this two years ago,' he said. 'The Parole Board considered Brian Meehan's release and it was declined. 'He still has to go before the Parole Board again. I have never submitted a statement to them before and I won't. It is a matter for them whether he is deemed eligible for release under licence, as a convicted murderer.' He said the family's situation would be no different from other relatives bereaved by murderers. 'His possible release is something I have no control over. 'In a way, it would be no more difficult than when John Gilligan was released [on drug trafficking charges in 2013]. 'My sister will be dead 30 years next year. Every time there is a serious crime, her name is brought up, so there are constant reminders.' The public reaction to Guerin's killing was instant and furious. More than 1,000 people attended her funeral. The Irish government, facing immense pressure, enacted emergency legislation to strengthen the powers of the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB), a newly formed agency designed to strip criminals of their ill-gotten wealth. Homes, cars, racehorses, and foreign bank accounts linked to Gilligan and his associates were frozen or seized. The State finally turned its full force against organised crime. In the months that followed, the Gardaí (Irish police) launched Operation Oak, a massive investigation into Guerin's murder and the activities of the Gilligan gang. A breakthrough came when Gardaí found the abandoned motorbike used in the assassination. Forensic evidence linked the bike to Meehan. Meehan, a small-time criminal turned trusted hitman, was a key enforcer in Gilligan's gang. He was known for his aggression and loyalty—qualities that, in the brutal calculus of gangland life, made him an ideal candidate for such a hit. He had previously worked as a car thief and getaway driver and had been involved in countless acts of intimidation and violence on behalf of the gang.
Extra.ie
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Extra.ie
Rex Ryan's foray into the life of Gerard Hutch is thought-provoking
When watching The Monk at Glass Mask Theatre that age-old adage about the truth and a good story might spring to mind. It wouldn't be the first time that a gangland veteran became the subject of an artistic endeavour — after all, we've had The General about the life of Martin Cahill and John Gilligan and Traynor were also committed to celluloid in Veronica Guerin, the film about the murder of the Sunday Independent journalist. In that, Alan Devine played Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch long before he was found not guilty of the Regency Hotel murders in 2023 and subsequently unsuccessfully ran for election a year later. But it's another leap that Rex Ryan has taken — devising a play about his one-time neighbour after a chance meeting with Hutch's son Jason who he knew from his neighbourhood of Clontarf. Ryan writes, directs and stars in The Monk after meeting with Gerry Hutch a number of times to discuss the man's life. Rex Ryan as a younger Gerard Hutch. Hutch has given Ryan carte blanche to portray his life as Ryan sees it, and so though facts were checked and insight into his life was certainly provided by The Monk, the actor and writer has used dramatic licence to pepper fact with fiction. We meet The Monk as played by Ryan just minutes before he is due to appear in the dock to hear whether or not he will be convicted of the murder of David Byrne at The Regency Hotel in 2016. What follows is like a fever dream trip through the life of Hutch, aided and abetted by screens that flash up different aspects of Hutch's life – from CCTV footage of an assasination attempt on The Monk as he dined out in a Lanzarote bar with his wife Trish to headlines about various robberies including the Marino Mart job which Hutch insists he had no hand, act or part in. Throughout, the face of a young girl – the angel watching over him – appears on the screens questioning what Hutch is saying. We hear about Gerard Hutch's early life in Summerhill, which paints a picture of poverty for his own family and those around him. Rex Ryan as a long-haired Hutch. There were times, he remembers, where there wasn't food on the table and how his mother looked after her children while his father worked on the docks until his back was broken and found solace at the bottom of a bottle. He describes the children playing in The Cage who get dealt a rough hand, Hutch among them as small transgressions see him being carted off and institutionalised at a young age before he gives the authorities a reason to see him as a criminal as part of a young gang called the Bugsy Malones. Ryan's telling of 15-year-old Hutch's time in Mountjoy is a poignant one, revealing how a child learned strength from neglect in prison and brutality. And it is in this vein that we continue, verging into the territory of 'ordinary decent criminal' — at one point there's a very Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels style retelling of how a robbery might be planned down to the second which treads very dubious ground. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Rex Ryan (@rexryan1989) But just when you think the play has drifted into the realms of Robin Hood type territory, it turns again with a clever reproduction of the 2008 RTE interview where Paul Reynolds puts Hutch through the ringer, followed by a litany of death and bloodshed being blasted from the screens surrounding the stage while Ryan's Hutch insists he is simply the head of a family who's trying to sort out his nephew's mistake. Without giving too much away, it's quite an ending as Gerard Hutch is called to court. And we, of course, know that in real life Hutch was found not guilty. But because this production is a mishmash of fact and fiction, it's sometimes an uncomfortable watch for the wrong reasons. Rex Ryan as Gerry Hutch. Had Ryan taken Gerard Hutch's story and completely fictionalised it using a different character, without revealing he had based it on The Monk, it would be an excellent play. But with the actual crime boss looming large in the background, it becomes distracting and disorientating as the audience themselves have to figure out where the two truths lie. The acting, writing, direction and staging is superb and certainly The Monk by Rex Ryan is thought-provoking but one of those thoughts is whether or not this was a good idea in the first place from a moral perspective. But as Hutch said himself, we'll let the people decide.
The Irish Sun
01-06-2025
- The Irish Sun
Veronica Guerin's killer ‘hard to recognise' back on streets as gangster wearing ‘disguise' on prison day release trips
KILLER Brian 'The Tosser' Meehan is trying his best to go unnoticed while out on temporary release from prison by going in disguise. Meehan, the only person convicted of Advertisement 4 Brian Meehan has been using a disguise while on temporary release from prison Credit: 4 Meehan is the only person convicted of murdering journalist Veronica Guerin Credit: Photocall Ireland 4 Veronica Guerin was shot and killed in her car on the Naas Road Credit: Photocall Ireland And the gangster has grown a beard in a bid to hide his features while on day release from Shelton Abbey Prison in Co A source said the The source said: 'Meehan is getting out more frequently now and he loves to go and have a ramble around the local shops. The last thing he wants is people spotting him. 'He wears a hat and glasses to reduce his chances of getting noticed. He is also now sporting a white beard. It's all part of his disguise. Advertisement READ MORE IN IRISH NEWS 'It would be hard to recognise him in fairness as he looks completely different with the beard. He just looks like your average middle aged man. He goes to great lengths to keep out of the limelight.' Meehan, 57, is serving life for the murder of journalist Veronica in 1996. He has been allowed out of the open Meehan was part of the Advertisement Most read in The Irish Sun Breaking She was shot dead in her car on the Naas dual carriageway in Dublin on June 26, 1996, when a hit team pulled up beside her on a motorbike. Meehan was driving and the late Patrick 'Dutchy' Holland was the gunman who fired six shots at the journalist. Moment heavily armed officers smash into Breaking Bad-style drug lab allegedly being run by John Gilligan 'The Tosser' is currently living in one of ten single occupancy independent living units (ILU) on the The units are estimated to have cost between €530,000 and €600,000 each. Advertisement Our source said: 'The ILU Meehan is in is basically like any state-of-the-art apartment. It has all the modern amenities including a flat screen TV that he can watch movies on. 'As an avid 4 Meehan was part of the John Gilligan-led mob that killed the journalist Credit: Crispin Rodwell - The Sun Dublin
