A SINGLE shot was fired into the head of former INLA leader Dominic McGlinchey to make sure he was dead, Drogheda Coroner's Court heard yesterday.
After the inquest his family claimed he had been gathering information on UVF "money laundering" in the Republic when he was killed.
The State Pathologist, Prof John Harbison, told the resumed inquest that he had carried out a post mortem examination on the body of McGlinchey (42), Meadowview, Drogheda, in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, on February 11th, 1994. The previous night McGlinchey's 16 year old son had seen two masked men shoot his father in a telephone kiosk.
As Dr Harbison removed the dead man's clothing, three bullets and one bullet case were recovered. X rays showed he had a bullet in his neck, skull, seven to the left upper chest area, one in his left arm, one in his left leg and two in his right leg. Fourteen bullets were found and he believed the last bullet to the head was a coup de grace - "a final shot to make sure he was dead", he told Mr Fergal Kavanagh BL, representing the McGlinchey family.
Det Garda James Quinn of the Garda ballistics section arrived at the scene at 3.30 a.m. with a Garda photographer.
The body was lying on the ground covered with a tarpaulin. Scattered about were spent cartridge cases, he said. He attended the post mortem examination and said forensic examination found that all bullets were discharged from the same weapon.
Replying to Mr Kavanagh he said the bullets had been checked against any weapon involved in subversive activity in the State and it had not been used before. Gardai had checked it against weapons that had come into their possession since but no match had been found. He agreed that a check against any weapon held outside the State (Northern Ireland) was outstanding. He said the file on the murder remained open and unsolved Dominic McGlinchey jnr told gardai that he and his father were returning home from a video shop at around 10.50 p.m. on February 10th, 1994 and his father pulled in to use a public phone. Dominic jnr saw a car approaching. He saw masked men get out. He shouted at his father.
He said the men fired at his father who had exited the phone box. His father either fell to the ground or was wrestled to the ground. He ran to a shop and house to get an ambulance. He looked back to see his father lying on the ground, the two men were gone.
Ambulance driver Mr James Townley said he arrived at 11.04 p.m. No vital signs of life were found. He saw a young man came over to the body and bend down and kiss it. He was told this man was Dominic McGlinchey jnr.
The jury returned a verdict in accordance with the medical evidence, that the deceased died from laceration of the brain with fractures of the skull due to bullet wounds to the head.
Afterwards former MP Bernadette McAliskey helped the deceased's brother Sean compose a press statement. She said that arising from the inquest it was apparent that the murder investigation was not pursued with any vigour.
"The family are outraged to learn that despite ongoing co operation between the security forces North and South of the Border that no check has been made on any weapons coming into the possession of the RUC since October 1994 to establish if any link might exist between the bullets and casings found at the scene of the murder and any such weapons coming into their posses.......
"Despite the fact that he was himself under constant Garda surveillance, despite a previous attempt on his life and the existence of photo fit identification of two assailants in that attempt and the fact that they bear an uncanny resemblance to two known members of the UVF in the North, it is inconceivable to the McGlinchey family that the gardai have been unable to keep any, further progress in this inquiry.