John Dundon case: the key players

John Dundon
Dundon, who turns 31 later this month, has served lengthy prison sentences for threats to kill. Now, he faces a life-sentence for murder.

He is a brother of Dessie, Wayne and Ger Dundon who formed the notorious McCarthy-Dundon gang with their cousins. For years they were arch-rivals with the city’s other most-feared criminals, the Keane-Collopy gang.

Dundon has accumulated at least 40 convictions including threats to kill and damage to property. He threatened to kill April Collins, a key witness in his murder trial. He also threatened the life of Owen Treacy, whose evidence led to members of his gang being jailed for life for the murder of Kieran Keane.

Barry Doyle
The Dubliner has been jailed for his role in the murder of rugby player Shane Geoghegan. A father-of-three from Portland Row, Dublin, he was living in Limerick at the time of the killing. The court heard he had intended to kill another Limerick man – John "Pitchfork" McNamara – on behalf of the McCarthy-Dundon gang, but mistook Mr Geoghegan for that man.

Liam “Lika” Casey

Known as one of the Dundon gang's enforcers, Liam "Lika" Casey is serving a seven-year sentence for shooting a man in the legs in Limerick three years ago.

April Collins
Collins, a 26-year-old mother of three, was the State's key witness. She was involved in a 10-year relationship with Ger Dundon and had three sons with him.

She broke up with him shortly after he began serving a three-year prison sentence. She later claimed to have been intimidated by other members of the Dundon gang.

In May 2011, she gave a statement to gardaí detailing John Dundon’s role in organising the shooting which resulted in the death of Shane Geoghegan.

She has since been under Garda protection. The court heard her evidence was credible but described her actions as " reprehensible" in not acting to avert the shooting. She has a number of previous convictions and, in May 2011, was given a three-year suspended sentence for threatening a potential witness in a case involving the Dundons.

Lisa Collins
An older sister of April Collins, she shared a house with her boyfriend Christopher McCarthy, a cousin of the Dundons. After her sister gave a statement to gardaí in May 2011, Collins also implicated John Dundon in the shooting of Shane Geoghegan. She was a State witness in the case and is under Garda protection.

She said Dundon ordered her and her partner to steal a car days before the shooting. The same car was used in the murder. Collins also said Dundon had spoken about killing “Pitchfork”, or John McNamara, the intended target, on a number of occasions. The court ruled her evidence was credible, but – like her sister – it found she was an indirect accomplice to the murder.

Christopher McCarthy
A first cousin of the Dundons, his evidence was crucial in the State's cases against John Dundon. He moved to Limerick from London in the late 1990s and formed a relationship with Lisa Collins. He also gave evidence he was ordered by John Dundon to steal a car that ended up being used in the shooting of Geoghegan. McCarthy was a key member of the Dundon gang and has a series of previous convictions for gangland activity. He is also under Garda protection.