Hildegarde Naughton has ‘grave concerns’ over TV series featuring interview with John Gilligan

A Minister of State has expressed “grave concerns” about the Virgin Media TV series Confessions of a Crime Boss, which features an interview with drug dealer John Gilligan.

The three-part series, in which Gilligan speaks about his trial for the murder of journalist Veronica Guerin, begins on Monday.

Hildegarde Naughton, who is responsible for the National Drugs Strategy, told RTÉ radio’s This Week that she “would question the merit of programmes like this”.

“I don’t think the producers have exercised particularly good judgment by giving John Gilligan the opportunity to speak about his actions on national television,” she said.

Asked whether she felt it should be broadcast, Ms Naughton said that was “a matter for the broadcaster, but I certainly will not be watching it”.

Jimmy Guerin, brother of Ms Guerin, who was murdered by members of Gilligan’s gang, told the same programme that he only learned Gilligan had been interviewed about his sister’s murder three weeks ago.

He said he was contacted previously by David Harvey, chief executive of Peninsula Television, which produced the series, asking him to participate. Mr Guerin declined and said he was unaware at the time of Gilligan’s involvement.

The car in which journalist Veronica Guerin was shot dead on the Naas Road, Dublin, being removed for examination in June 1996. Photograph: David Sleator

Mr Guerin said he was “horrified” when he heard Gilligan had been interviewed for the documentary.

Gilligan will stand trial on Monday in Spain on drugs and weapons charges, and has been warned he faces more than eight years in jail if found guilty.

Mr Guerin said he suspected Gilligan saw the programme as “an opportunity to undermine a lot of gardaí, he certainly saw it as an opportunity to undermine Veronica’s memory”. He added that he thinks it is “wholly inappropriate for this programme to be aired at all”.

Mr Harvey rejected “completely” the possibility “that it is a glorification of John Gilligan”, when speaking to RTÉ Radio 1’s This Week.

“I think for such a significant, notorious figure to go on the record on national media at any point would be something that most organisations could not refuse the opportunity to show,” he said, adding that they did not pay Gilligan “a penny” to take part.

When asked whether he had considered there could be any ethical conflict in making a programme such as this, Mr Harvey said that “to be fair, I would have more experience of dealing with Veronica Guerin than most people who are giving out about this, so obviously I did”.