Cyril ‘Dublin Jimmy’ McGuinness’ mob forced hero garda to flee home after fire-bombing car during campaign of terror
A BRAVE garda was forced to flee from his home after a campaign of terror waged by depraved gang boss Cyril ‘Dublin Jimmy’ McGuinness.
The young officer moved his family from the border region to the south west of the country after his car was fire-bombed by the psycho’s mob.
And McGuinness — who collapsed and died on November 8 after cops probing the brutal abduction of businessman Kevin Lunney stormed his safe house in the UK — also burnt out a vintage David Brown tractor owned by another officer.
The intimidation directed against gardai coincided with vicious firebomb and arson attacks on Quinn Industrial Holdings from 2012 onwards.
A source said: “The guard had no option but to relocate his family because he was living in an isolated area and his family were vulnerable.
“There was just never enough evidence to get McGuinness for the attacks because he would never get his hands dirty and would get other members of his gang to do his dirty work.
“The campaign was being directed at a time when there were very little resources given to gardai along the border.”
THUG'S HISTORY OF ATTACKS ON FRONT-LINE OFFICERS
As part of our latest revelations on the thug, suspected of masterminding the abduction of QIH director Lunney for his ‘paymaster’, we also reveal details of his attacks on front-line officers.
McGuinness — who earned his first conviction in 1984 and also served time at Magilligan Prison in the north — was classified by Belgian police as being “completely anti-gardai”.
Investigators in Belgium compiled their profile of the gangster under ‘Operation Segund’ after he was arrested for masterminding a €3.4m stolen plant machinery scam across Europe.
In their file for Belgian prosecutors, officers established how McGuinness drove a fork-lift at gardai at a yard in Swords, north Dublin.
On October 10, 2013, he also threatened gardai and locked a yard gate with a padlock to prevent officers from leaving.
The gate was only forced open when back-up arrived.
At another incident in Balbriggan, Dublin, the same year, he threatened to “do in gardai”. On September 9, 2014, his contempt was also shown when he was “abusive” to officers and “grabbed hold” of keys from a Garda patrol car.
On that occasion, McGuinness wasn’t arrested as he just walked over the border to the north. At other times when he was on the border, he would often stare into the faces of young Gardai as part of his attempts to intimidate them.
And the major criminal — who was branded ‘Saddam Hussein’ by his cohorts due to his propensity for violence — would often abandon his cars at Garda checkpoints in Co Cavan before walking across the border.
He would also stalk the border area wearing a crash helmet and false face to avoid detection.
'UTTER CONTEMPT FOR RULE OF LAW'
Other incidents of intimidation included him recruiting 12 heavies from Eastern Europe to stay in pubs after closing time.
The thugs would refuse to leave the bars when Gardai asked them to move on. They would only leave after extra officers were drafted in.
Other reports detail how McGuinness would often blow cigarette smoke in the faces of gardai when stopped.
The Belgian authorities were so concerned about his capacity for violence that they sent six heavily armed officers to Ireland to bring him back to Belgium in a military helicopter.
When surrounded and asked if he was going to be any trouble, he kept his head bowed and said: “No.”
They established he was named after the former Iraqi dictator when a seized phone from McGuinness’ sidekick Damien McPhillips had his boss’ number under ‘Saddam’.
At a previous court appearance in Belgium, McGuinness showed his contempt for the courts by taking out his false teeth and slamming them on a desk.
The hood — who also received a vicious beating while he was being held in prison in Serbia in 2008 — also made a number of bogus complaints to the Garda Ombudsman alleging harassment — but they were all rejected.
A source said: “All of these incidents paint a picture of the type of man gardai on the border were dealing with.
“He would intimidate younger guards through his behaviour and he had utter contempt for the rule of law.
“How could any young guard be expected to deal with this type of behaviour from a psychopath? This was the reality of policing for members in this region.”
THE 'TRUE BRAINS BEHIND THE CRIMINAL ORGANISATION'
As part of their intelligence gathering on McGuinness, Belgian cops, who were working closely with the Gardai’s Stolen Motor Vehicle Investigations Unit, identified his role in organised crime.
A file read: “Cyril McGuinness is the leader of a criminal organisation. This is a structured association with the common agreement of committing crimes.
“The organisation was professionally organised and equipped.
“Cyril McGuinness was the one who pulled the strings and who was the true brains behind the criminal organisation.
“It has been proven without doubt that he was the leader of the criminal organisation.
“Each of the members of the criminal organisation had his own important role to play in the activities of this organisation.
“He received a seven-year sentence for participation in a criminal organisation.”
JUNIOR MINISTER SLAMMED FOR BLAMING GARDAI'S RESPONSE
After masterminding the stolen plant machinery scam, in which 23 items including bulk containers and diggers were stolen, he established the fake company ‘Tony Coogan Plant Hire’ for the purposes of laundering cash.
Investigators later established how the firm had been registered to an empty room in a house in Belturbet, Co Cavan.
When examining his wealth, officers established how he had spent €100,000 in cash for his house at Teemore in Co Fermanagh and would “often visit Ukraine, Australia and several Arab countries”.
Although his main associates were border smugglers and dissident republicans, he also sold trucks to those involved in the helicopter industry in California.
Our revelations on the various forms of intimidation faced by gardai comes after Junior Minister Michael D’Arcy was slammed for blaming the front-line gardai over their response to McGuinness’ reign of terror.
The Garda Representatives Association President Jim Mulligan hit out at D’Arcy’s comments.
He said: “The GRA reiterates that our members are due an apology for his reckless and irresponsible comments.
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“He risks undermining public confidence in our members policing the border. This will inevitably damage morale among rank-and-file gardai who are working in an area where dangerous people operate.
“Minister D’Arcy’s status as a Government Minister makes his comments, and subsequent silence, all the more irresponsible.
“The GRA has no option but to ask the Taoiseach to act. A letter to this effect has been sent.”