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David "Daithí" Douglas, an Irish zookeeper turned criminal, was shot dead on 1 July 2016. [1] He had convictions dating from the 1980s as well as more recent ones and had survived a shooting the previous November. [1] His murder is part of the Hutch–Kinahan feud. [1] In August 2018 'Fat' Freddy Thompson was found guilty of the murder by the Special Criminal Court. [2]
In 1983 Douglas received a sentence of twelve years at the Special Criminal Court for shooting with intent to kill a Garda during an armed robbery at an Allied Irish Banks sub-branch at Wang Laboratories in Castletroy, Limerick in 1982. [1] [3] [4] He had been a member of the Provisional IRA. [3] It has been alleged that he was kicked out of the IRA because of his involvement with illegal drugs. [3]
Shortly after sentencing for his part in the 1982 raid on AIB in Wang laboratories, Douglas was sentenced for three other offences committed in 1982: [4]
He told Gardaí that these raids had been carried out on behalf of the Provisional IRA, which the Gardaí accepted. [4]
Douglas was released from prison in the mid 1990s, resumed his criminal activities, and became increasingly involved in illegal drug trafficking. [4]
In 2008 Douglas was stopped in a taxi with three other men near Pearse Street. Gardaí recovered a black holdall containing 8kg of cocaine. [1] [4] [5] Telephone records from the previous three months linked the men. [5] These drugs were trafficked by the Kinahan cartel. [1] [4]
In December 2011, Douglas was sentenced to ten years, with five suspended. [1] [5] [6] He was also involved in dogfighting. [7]
Douglas had links to the Hutch gang, as well as George Mitchell and a gang in Finglas. [1]
A senior member of the Kinahan gang survived an assassination attempt in November 2015 at a pub in West Dublin. [4] The Kinahan gang blamed Douglas and an associate of his, Darren Kearns, who had convictions for drug dealing. [4] Kearns was shot dead at the end of December 2015, with Gardaí believing that his death was the work of the Kinahan gang and that it was feud-related. [4] Gardaí concluded that David Douglas was in a pub in the north inner city at the time of the attempted assassination and was not directly involved. [8]
Douglas was shot in November 2015 while walking his dog near his home. [1] [5] [6] His wife insisted after this shooting that he was a law-abiding citizen. [1]
He and his wife ran the Shoestown shop on Bridgefoot Street, where he was shot at about 4:10 pm on 1 July 2016. [1] [6] [9] He was treated by paramedics at the scene and then taken to St. James's Hospital, where he died. [9] He had been shot six times. [2]
A handgun was recovered at the scene of the shooting. [6] A stolen Mercedes car that detectives believed was used in the killing was found burnt out. [6]
In November 2016, "Fat" Freddy Thompson was charged with the murder of David Douglas. [10] In August 2018, he was convicted of murder and sentenced to a mandatory life sentence by the Special Criminal Court. [2]
Justice Hunt said that the prosecution had not claimed that Thompson was the shooter, but that he was involved, specifically driving a Ford Fiesta closely involved with the crime. [2] As well as interacting with suspects, it drove past Shoestown four minutes before the murder. [2]
Thompson was caught on CCTV dismantling a mobile phone and acting in a furtive manner. [2] He was seen later that evening in a restaurant having a meal with two men suspected of being part of the murder plot. [2]
The defence has said that while Thompsons' behaviour was 'suspicious' it fell short of the standard of proof beyond a reasonable doubt. [2] Justice Hunt said that any innocent explanation of the various threads of evidence required “an excessive reliance on unlucky coincidence”. [2] The court had taken into account Thompsons' failure to answer Garda's questions about his movements on that day. [2] Thompson also refused to answer questions about cars and fingerprint evidence that placed him in one of the vehicles. [2]
Justice Hunt sympathized with the family of the murder victim, particularly his daughter, who witnessed the murder. [2]
Superintendent Paul Cleary said outside that the Douglas family was satisfied with the verdict and that the investigation is ongoing. [2]
Counsel for Thompson said the verdict would be appealed.[ citation needed]
Nathan Foley of Rosary Road, Maryland, Dublin, admitted assisting the killers of Daithi Douglas and was sentenced to six years in prison in January 2019. [11] He drove one of the four cars used in the murder, as well as buying phones used in it. [11] He was the second person to be jailed in connection with the murder. [11]
In January 2020, Gareth Brophy pleaded guilty to being involved in the murder. [12] He was 25 and from Reuben Walk in Dublin 8. [12] He was the driver of the getaway car. [12] In February 2020, he was sentenced to ten years in prison, with the final six months suspended. [13] The sentence was backdated to 18 November 2018 - the date he went into custody. [13]
In May 2021 Lee Canavan was found guilty of the murder. [14] The Special Criminal Court did not accept that there was evidence that he had shot Douglas, but ruled that he was part of a joint enterprise to murder as part of a "meticulously planned execution". [14] Canavan, from Edenbrook in Rathfarnham was also found guilty of a second charge of criminal damage to a Suzuki Swift at Strand Road, Sandymount on 4 July 2016. [14] The car belonged to Theresa Devoy. [14] He is the half-brother of Gareth Brophy. [14]
On 3rd Jun 2021 he was jailed for life for his part in the murder. [15]
In May 2020, a man in his 30s was arrested in connection with the murder after being extradited from the UK. [16]
53°20′37″N 6°16′52″W / 53.34359°N 6.28103°W
![]() | This article has multiple issues. Please help
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talk page. (
Learn how and when to remove these template messages)
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David "Daithí" Douglas, an Irish zookeeper turned criminal, was shot dead on 1 July 2016. [1] He had convictions dating from the 1980s as well as more recent ones and had survived a shooting the previous November. [1] His murder is part of the Hutch–Kinahan feud. [1] In August 2018 'Fat' Freddy Thompson was found guilty of the murder by the Special Criminal Court. [2]
In 1983 Douglas received a sentence of twelve years at the Special Criminal Court for shooting with intent to kill a Garda during an armed robbery at an Allied Irish Banks sub-branch at Wang Laboratories in Castletroy, Limerick in 1982. [1] [3] [4] He had been a member of the Provisional IRA. [3] It has been alleged that he was kicked out of the IRA because of his involvement with illegal drugs. [3]
Shortly after sentencing for his part in the 1982 raid on AIB in Wang laboratories, Douglas was sentenced for three other offences committed in 1982: [4]
He told Gardaí that these raids had been carried out on behalf of the Provisional IRA, which the Gardaí accepted. [4]
Douglas was released from prison in the mid 1990s, resumed his criminal activities, and became increasingly involved in illegal drug trafficking. [4]
In 2008 Douglas was stopped in a taxi with three other men near Pearse Street. Gardaí recovered a black holdall containing 8kg of cocaine. [1] [4] [5] Telephone records from the previous three months linked the men. [5] These drugs were trafficked by the Kinahan cartel. [1] [4]
In December 2011, Douglas was sentenced to ten years, with five suspended. [1] [5] [6] He was also involved in dogfighting. [7]
Douglas had links to the Hutch gang, as well as George Mitchell and a gang in Finglas. [1]
A senior member of the Kinahan gang survived an assassination attempt in November 2015 at a pub in West Dublin. [4] The Kinahan gang blamed Douglas and an associate of his, Darren Kearns, who had convictions for drug dealing. [4] Kearns was shot dead at the end of December 2015, with Gardaí believing that his death was the work of the Kinahan gang and that it was feud-related. [4] Gardaí concluded that David Douglas was in a pub in the north inner city at the time of the attempted assassination and was not directly involved. [8]
Douglas was shot in November 2015 while walking his dog near his home. [1] [5] [6] His wife insisted after this shooting that he was a law-abiding citizen. [1]
He and his wife ran the Shoestown shop on Bridgefoot Street, where he was shot at about 4:10 pm on 1 July 2016. [1] [6] [9] He was treated by paramedics at the scene and then taken to St. James's Hospital, where he died. [9] He had been shot six times. [2]
A handgun was recovered at the scene of the shooting. [6] A stolen Mercedes car that detectives believed was used in the killing was found burnt out. [6]
In November 2016, "Fat" Freddy Thompson was charged with the murder of David Douglas. [10] In August 2018, he was convicted of murder and sentenced to a mandatory life sentence by the Special Criminal Court. [2]
Justice Hunt said that the prosecution had not claimed that Thompson was the shooter, but that he was involved, specifically driving a Ford Fiesta closely involved with the crime. [2] As well as interacting with suspects, it drove past Shoestown four minutes before the murder. [2]
Thompson was caught on CCTV dismantling a mobile phone and acting in a furtive manner. [2] He was seen later that evening in a restaurant having a meal with two men suspected of being part of the murder plot. [2]
The defence has said that while Thompsons' behaviour was 'suspicious' it fell short of the standard of proof beyond a reasonable doubt. [2] Justice Hunt said that any innocent explanation of the various threads of evidence required “an excessive reliance on unlucky coincidence”. [2] The court had taken into account Thompsons' failure to answer Garda's questions about his movements on that day. [2] Thompson also refused to answer questions about cars and fingerprint evidence that placed him in one of the vehicles. [2]
Justice Hunt sympathized with the family of the murder victim, particularly his daughter, who witnessed the murder. [2]
Superintendent Paul Cleary said outside that the Douglas family was satisfied with the verdict and that the investigation is ongoing. [2]
Counsel for Thompson said the verdict would be appealed.[ citation needed]
Nathan Foley of Rosary Road, Maryland, Dublin, admitted assisting the killers of Daithi Douglas and was sentenced to six years in prison in January 2019. [11] He drove one of the four cars used in the murder, as well as buying phones used in it. [11] He was the second person to be jailed in connection with the murder. [11]
In January 2020, Gareth Brophy pleaded guilty to being involved in the murder. [12] He was 25 and from Reuben Walk in Dublin 8. [12] He was the driver of the getaway car. [12] In February 2020, he was sentenced to ten years in prison, with the final six months suspended. [13] The sentence was backdated to 18 November 2018 - the date he went into custody. [13]
In May 2021 Lee Canavan was found guilty of the murder. [14] The Special Criminal Court did not accept that there was evidence that he had shot Douglas, but ruled that he was part of a joint enterprise to murder as part of a "meticulously planned execution". [14] Canavan, from Edenbrook in Rathfarnham was also found guilty of a second charge of criminal damage to a Suzuki Swift at Strand Road, Sandymount on 4 July 2016. [14] The car belonged to Theresa Devoy. [14] He is the half-brother of Gareth Brophy. [14]
On 3rd Jun 2021 he was jailed for life for his part in the murder. [15]
In May 2020, a man in his 30s was arrested in connection with the murder after being extradited from the UK. [16]