Four get sentences totalling 33 years for gangland murder plot

Four men have been sentenced to a combined 33 years imprisonment at the Central Criminal Court following their convictions in a gangland murder conspiracy centred on Dublin but with Longford connections. Wayne Ryan, aged 41 and based in Longford, pleaded guilty to the attempted murder of Wayne Whelan at Griffeen Glen Park, Lucan, on 4 September 2019. He received a sentence of 15 years. During that shooting, Whelan was struck by four bullets from eleven shots fired as he sat in his vehicle. A badly damaged handgun was recovered from a burnt-out van minutes after the attack, and firearms residue found on Ryan's clothing provided strong forensic evidence of his involvement. Three Dublin men—Cailean Crawford, Darren Henderson, and Charles McClean—each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to murder Whelan between May and November 2019. McClean received eight years imprisonment. Crawford and Henderson were each sentenced to seven years, with the final two years of their sentences suspended. Both men were required to enter into good behaviour bonds regarding their suspended portions. Mr Justice Michael White, in sentencing, remarked upon the "callous indifference" demonstrated by carrying out the broad daylight attack outside the victim's home. The court heard that McClean and Whelan had previously been business partners in a car sales enterprise that ceased trading in 2016, adding a personal dimension to the conspiracy. Although Whelan survived the initial September shooting, he was fatally attacked in a separate incident two months later in November 2019. The judge backdated sentences according to when each defendant commenced custody. The four men had been remanded in custody since entering their guilty pleas in May 2021, ahead of the sentence hearing on 2 September 2021.