THE FATHER of a man shot dead in a Dublin pub last year has expressed frustration in Dublin Coroner’s Court at the length of time it is taking to carry out an inquest into his son’s death.
Eamonn Dunne spoke out as Det Insp Francis Sweeney of Fitzgibbon Street Garda station requested another six-month adjournment of the inquest to allow gardaí continue their investigation into the murder. He complained it had been 20 months since his son’s death.
“This keeps going on and on and in six months’ time you will be saying the same thing. There must be a certain period of time when this has to stop,” he said. He complained gardaí had not informed him his son’s inquest was up for mention at the Coroner’s Court.
Eamon Dunne (34), Dunsoughly Drive, Ratoath Road, Finglas, was shot dead at Fassaugh House in Cabra as he attended a 40th birthday party early last year. It is believed two men entered the pub, picked out Dunne and shot him several times. Another two men were waiting outside in a car and all four fled immediately.
Dunne was a major crime figure, having assumed control of the Finglas-based drug and armed robbery operation previously led by Martin “Marlo” Hyland.
He was a main gangland target for the Garda National Drugs Unit, National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Criminal Assets Bureau and Organised Crime Unit. Under his stewardship, his gang was a massive importer of drugs, supplying them to smaller operations throughout the country. They are believed to have carried out more than a dozen gangland killings.
At the time of his death, Dunne was on bail and due to face trial on a charge of conspiring to rob a transit van of €1 million outside a Tesco in Celbridge, Co Kildare, in November 2007. It is believed the Director of Public Prosecutions was also preparing to charge him with directing a criminal organisation, an offence that carries a maximum life sentence.
In response to Dunne’s father’s complaints, coroner Dr Brian Farrell said he empathised with the family’s situation but had to acquiesce to the Garda request, given an inquiry was under way. He added he did not allow inquests to be drawn out interminably, and would review the matter when the case was up for mention in June.