Collins intimidation claim being investigated

GARDAÍ HAVE confirmed they are investigating an incident involving the alleged intimidation of the father and brother of Roy Collins, who was shot dead in Limerick earlier this month.

Roy Collins's father, Stephen, told RTÉ Radio's Marian Finucane Showthat he thought the McCarthy-Dundon gang would leave the family alone after the death of his son.

Then, on Tuesday, he was coming down Childers Road after 1pm when he pulled over to give some documents to his son, Stephen jnr (26), who was travelling behind him.

A car pulled alongside them and people “started shouting abuse at my son, saying that he was next to get it”, he said. “It was crazy.”

He followed the car to confront them but a red van blocked his way. “This was intimidation,” he said. “It was all well-planned.”

He eventually decided not to pursue the car and turned back. He then saw the van and pulled up near it. “As I did that . . . they came from over the walls, 25 of them with sticks, chains, bottles, and attacked the car. I had to get away in a hurry and barely made it through the gates of the level-crossing,” he said. “I don’t know what would have happened if I had been stopped there.”

The gang dispersed after gardaí came on the scene. Mr Collins said he recognised two people in the car “so hopefully charges will be brought against them”.

When his son went back to the Weston area with gardaí to see if he could identify the men “there were 30 of them just standing around there, the way they do, intimidating and laughing and joking. They thought it was very funny.”

Wayne Dundon (31) was jailed in 2005 for threatening to kill Ryan Lee, who is Roy Collins’s cousin and stepbrother. Mr Lee had refused Dundon’s 14-year-old sister entry into a pub and was shot soon afterwards. The pub was also burned down. Mr Lee gave evidence against Dundon.

His cousin, Roy Collins, was shot dead earlier this month in a killing gardaí believe was linked to Mr Lee’s giving of evidence.

Stephen Collins said he would still give evidence against the gang. “You can’t win with these people. When these people come in on your life they are going to hurt you no matter what, whether you give evidence or you don’t.”

He said his family was terrified at the turn of events. “I really thought that now, after killing my son, that they might have got their pound of flesh and that they’d leave us alone but I don’t think so. It doesn’t look like they are going away.” The family has round-the-clock Garda surveillance and the McCarthy-Dundon gang was “slowly destroying” their lives. Mr Collins said a public march against crime in Limerick could help to send the message that the people were sick of the gang’s actions.

He had received a huge number of calls and letters from people, asking if they could do anything to help. “Everyone’s talking about the McCarthy-Dundons and the terror that they are bringing to the city here. They’ve ruined this city and everyone is so angry about it.”

The reign of terror would continue unless people rose up against it, he said.

A Garda spokesman said gardaí were investigating an incident that happened in Limerick last Tuesday.