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Court hears audio of moment would-be assassins were foiled by gardai

Summary

The Special Criminal Court heard audio evidence regarding the alleged conspiracy to murder Gary Hanley between September 15th and November 6th, 2017. Liam Brannigan, 37, of Bride Street, Dublin 8, is charged with this offence and has pleaded not guilty. The court examined a recording from a bugged Volkswagen caddy on November 6th, 2017, where unidentified men discussed a Beretta handgun with a silencer and the target. One man loaded the clip, stating, "we're laughing with this," before armed gardai intercepted the vehicle. Surveillance evidence linked the vehicle to Alan Wilson and Joseph Kelly, who were arrested that night along with Luke Wilson. Brannigan was also arrested. The prosecution presented a phone attributed to Brannigan, allegedly discarded before his arrest, containing contacts for Wilson and Kelly. While Luke Wilson, Joseph Kelly, and Alan Wilson have previously pleaded guilty to the plot and been jailed, Brannigan's trial continues. The matter is currently at the sentence stage for the co-accused, but Brannigan's case remains ongoing with no finalisation recorded for him.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Court hears audio of moment would-be assassins were foiled by gardai. Charges or matters: conspiring to murder Gary Hanley at a location within the State between September 15th and November 6th, 2017; the plot and been jailed. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

• September 15th Hearing Or Sentence
• November 6th, 2017 Incident
• October 2017 Hearing Or Sentence
• October 3rd, 2017 Incident
• November 6th Incident
• Christmas Other
• 2019-11-21 Publication

Why: The man who put the clip in the Beretta was earlier heard saying, "I wanna get this fucking over with" because he said he needed "a few fucking quid" for Christmas. CNI source report

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Sentence Violent Crime

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Read the original CNI report