Veronica Guerin
Encyclopedia
Veronica Guerin was an Irish
crime reporter who was murdered on 26 June 1996 by drug lord
s, an event which, alongside the murder of Detective Garda
Jerry McCabe
three weeks earlier, helped establish the Criminal Assets Bureau
.
Christopher and his wife Bernadette, Veronica was nicknamed "Ronnie." She and her four siblings were born and brought up in Artane, Dublin
, and attended Catholic school where she excelled in athletics. Besides basketball
and camogie
, aged 15 she played in the all-Ireland football
finals with a slipped disc. Guerin studied accountancy at Trinity College, Dublin
.
Guerin married Graham Turley, and the couple had a son Cathal. A big fan of Manchester United football team, her prized possession was a photo of her and Eric Cantona
taken on a visit to Old Trafford
.
firm in 1983, which she ran for seven years.
In 1983–84, she served as secretary to the Fianna Fáil
group at the New Ireland Forum
. She served as Charles Haughey
's personal assistant, and became a family friend, taking holidays with his children. In 1987 she served as election agent and party treasurer in Dublin North
for Seán Haughey
.
, working under editor Damien Kiberd
. With a knowledge of business approached with a detailled accounting mind, and hence craving first-hand information, she would follow a story directly to source with little regard for her personal safety, to allow her to engage those she deemed central to a story. This allowed her to build up close relationships with both the legimate authorities, such as the Garda Síochána (Irish police)
, and the criminals, with both sides respecting her diligence by providing highly detailed information. She also reported on Irish Republican Army
activities in the Republic.
From 1994 onwards, she began to write about criminals for Irish newspaper the Sunday Independent
. Using her accountancy knowledge to trace the proceeds of illegal activity, she used street names or pseudonyms for underworld
figures to avoid Irish libel laws.
When she began to cover drug dealers, and gaining information from convicted drugs criminal John Traynor
, she received numerous death threats. The first violence against her occurred in October 1994, when two shots were fired into her home after her story on murdered drug kingpin Martin Cahill
was published. Guerin dismissed the "warning". The day after writing an article on Gerry "The Monk" Hutch
, on 30 January 1995, she answered her doorbell to a man pointing a revolver at her head. Traynor had hired the gunman to shoot her in the leg at her home as a warning. Regardless, she vowed to continue her investigations. Independent Newspapers installed a security system to protect her, and the Garda Síochána
(Irish police) gave her a 24-hour escort; however, she did not approve of this, saying that it hampered her work.
On 13 September 1995, convicted criminal John Gilligan, Traynor's boss, attacked her when she confronted him about his lavish lifestyle with no source of income. He later called her at home and threatened to kidnap and rape her son, and kill her if she wrote anything about him.
Guerin received the International Press Freedom Award
from the Committee to Protect Journalists
in December, 1995.
, Brian Meehan, Peter Mitchell and Seamus Ward had met at their distribution premises on the Greenmount Industrial Estate. Bowden, the gangs distributor and amunitions quartermaster, had supplied the three with a Colt Python
revolver loaded with .357 Magnum
Semiwadcutter
bullets.
On 26 June 1996, while Guerin was driving her red Opel Calibra
she stopped at a red traffic light on the Naas Dual Carriageway near Newlands Cross
, on the outskirts of Dublin. Not knowing she was being followed, she was shot six times, fatally, by one of two men sitting on a motorcycle. The gun has never been recovered.
About an hour after Guerin was murdered, a meeting took place in Moore Street, Dublin between Bowden, Meehan and Mitchell. Bowden later denied under oath in court that the purpose of the meeting was the disposal of the weapon, but an excuse in a public place to place them away from the incident.
At the time of her murder, Traynor was seeking a High Court order against Guerin, to prevent her from publishing a book about his involvement in organised crime. Guerin was killed two days before she was due to speak at a Freedom Forum
conference in London. The topic of her segment was "Dying to Tell the Story: Journalists at Risk."
Her funeral was attended by Ireland's president, prime minister, the head of the armed forces and covered live by Raidió Teilifís Éireann
. On July 4, labour unions across Ireland had called for a moment of silence in her memory, which was duly followed by people around the country. Guerin is buried in Dardistown Cemetery
, County Dublin
.
John Bruton
called it "an attack on democracy". The Oireachtas, the Irish parliament, realised the potential of using tax enforcement laws as a means of deterring and punishing criminals. It then enacted the Proceeds of Crime Act 1996 and the Criminal Assets Bureau Act 1996, so that assets purchased with money obtained through crime could be seized by the government. This led to the formation of the Criminal Assets Bureau
(CAB).
After the murder of Guerin, Bowden like the other members of Gilligan's gang that were still in Ireland was arrested. In an agreement with the Attorney General of Ireland
, he agreed to turn state's witness, and become the first person to enter the Republic of Ireland's witness protection programme. Granted complete immunity from prosecution for the murder of Guerin, he was the only witness to give evidence against all four drug gang members at their trials in the Special Criminal Court
: Patrick Holland; Paul "Hippo" Ward; Brian Meehan; and John Gilligan. The investigation in Guerin's death resulted in over 150 other arrests and convictions, as well as seizures of drugs and arms. Drug crime in Ireland dropped 50% in the following 12 months.
In 1997 while acting as a Garda witness, Bowden named Patrick "Dutchy" Holland
in court as the man he supplied the gun to, and hence suspected of shooting Guerin. Holland was never convicted of the murder, and he denied the accusation up until his death in June 2009 while in prison in the UK.
In November 1998, after evidence from Bowden and others, Paul "Hippo" Ward was convicted of the murder and sentenced to life in prison as an accomplice, because he had disposed of the murder weapon and the motorbike. This conviction was later overturned on appeal, though Ward continues to serve a long prison sentence for his participation in a later prison riot.
Brian Meehan fled to Amsterdam
with Traynor, but was extradited
back to Ireland in late 1997. After the court dismissed additional evidence from Bowden, Meehan was convicted on the testimony of gang member turned state's witness Russell Warren, who had followed Guerin's movements in the hours before the murder, and then called Meehan on a mobile phone with the details. Meehan was convicted of murdering Guerin, and sentenced to life imprisonment.
John Gilligan left Ireland the day before Guerin was murdered, on a flight to Amsterdam. He was arrested 12 months later in the United Kingdom trying to board a flight for Amsterdam, after a routine search of his baggage revealed $500,000 in cash. Claiming it was the proceeds of gambling, he was charged with money laundering
. After a three year legal battle, he was extradited to Ireland on 3 February 2000. Tried and acquitted
of Guerin's murder, he was later convicted of importing 20 tonnes of cannabis
and sentenced to 28 years in prison, reduced to 20 years on appeal
.
Pursued by CAB, in January 2008, Gilligan made a court appearance in an attempt to stop the Irish State from selling off his assets. He accused Traynor of having ordered Guerin's murder without his permission. Despite the presiding judge's attempt to silence Gilligan, he continued to blame a botched Gardaí investigation and planted evidence as the reason for his current imprisonment. Traynor had fled to Portugal
after Guerin's murder, and having been on the run from British authorities since 1992, resided mainly in Spain
and the Netherlands
from 1996 onwards. After a failed extradition from the Netherlands in 1997, which brough Meehan back to Ireland, in 2010 Traynor was arrested after a joint UK SOCA
/Regiokorpsen operation in Amsterdam
, and is set to be extradited back to the UK.
.
On May 2, 1997, at a ceremony in Arlington, Virginia, her name and those of 38 other international journalists who died in the line of duty in 1996 were added to the Freedom Forum Journalists Memorial. Her husband addressed the audience: "Veronica stood for freedom to write. She stood as light, and wrote of life in Ireland today, and told the truth. Veronica was not a judge, nor was she a juror, but she paid the ultimate price with the sacrifice of her life." Turley remarried in 1998.
In 2007, the Veronica Guerin Memorial Scholarship was set up at Dublin City University
, offering a bursary
intended to meet the cost of fees and part of the general expenses of an MA in Journalism student who wishes to specialize in investigative journalism.
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
crime reporter who was murdered on 26 June 1996 by drug lord
Drug lord
A drug lord, drug baron or kingpin is the term used to describe a person who controls a sizable network of persons involved in the illegal drugs trade. Such figures are often difficult to bring to justice, as they might never be directly in possession of something illegal, but are insulated from...
s, an event which, alongside the murder of Detective Garda
Garda Síochána
, more commonly referred to as the Gardaí , is the police force of Ireland. The service is headed by the Commissioner who is appointed by the Irish Government. Its headquarters are located in the Phoenix Park in Dublin.- Terminology :...
Jerry McCabe
Jerry McCabe
Detective Garda Jerry McCabe was a member of the Garda Síochána, the police force of the Republic of Ireland. McCabe was murdered in Adare, County Limerick on 7 June 1996, by members of the paramilitary group, the Provisional IRA, during the attempted robbery of a post office van.-Early...
three weeks earlier, helped establish the Criminal Assets Bureau
Criminal Assets Bureau
The Criminal Assets Bureau is a law enforcement agency in Ireland, the purpose of which is to recover the proceeds of organised crime. It is a division of the Garda , but reports annually to the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform...
.
Early and personal life
The daughter of accountantAccountant
An accountant is a practitioner of accountancy or accounting , which is the measurement, disclosure or provision of assurance about financial information that helps managers, investors, tax authorities and others make decisions about allocating resources.The Big Four auditors are the largest...
Christopher and his wife Bernadette, Veronica was nicknamed "Ronnie." She and her four siblings were born and brought up in Artane, Dublin
Artane, Dublin
Artane, sometimes spelled Artaine , historically Tartaine is a Northside suburb of Dublin, Ireland. Neighbouring districts include Coolock, Beaumont, Killester, Raheny and Clontarf; to the south is a small locality, Harmonstown, straddling the Raheny-Artane border.-History:Artaine, now usually...
, and attended Catholic school where she excelled in athletics. Besides basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
and camogie
Camogie
Camogie is an Irish stick-and-ball team sport played by women; it is almost identical to the game of hurling played by men. Camogie is played by 100,000 women in Ireland and world wide, largely among Irish communities....
, aged 15 she played in the all-Ireland football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
finals with a slipped disc. Guerin studied accountancy at Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
.
Guerin married Graham Turley, and the couple had a son Cathal. A big fan of Manchester United football team, her prized possession was a photo of her and Eric Cantona
Eric Cantona
Eric Daniel Pierre Cantona is a French actor and former French international footballer. He played for Auxerre, Martigues, Marseille, Bordeaux, Montpellier, Nîmes and Leeds United before ending his professional footballing career at Manchester United, where he won four Premier League titles in...
taken on a visit to Old Trafford
Old Trafford
Old Trafford commonly refers to two sporting arenas:* Old Trafford, home of Manchester United F.C.* Old Trafford Cricket Ground, home of Lancashire County Cricket ClubOld Trafford can also refer to:...
.
PR career: 1983–1990
After graduation, her father hired her at his company. But after his death three years later, she changed professions and started a public relationsPublic relations
Public relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....
firm in 1983, which she ran for seven years.
In 1983–84, she served as secretary to the Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...
group at the New Ireland Forum
New Ireland Forum
The New Ireland Forum was a forum in 1983–84 at which Irish nationalist political parties discussed potential political developments that might alleviate the Troubles in Northern Ireland. The Forum was established by Garret FitzGerald, then Taoiseach, under the influence of John Hume. The Forum was...
. She served as Charles Haughey
Charles Haughey
Charles James "Charlie" Haughey was Taoiseach of Ireland, serving three terms in office . He was also the fourth leader of Fianna Fáil...
's personal assistant, and became a family friend, taking holidays with his children. In 1987 she served as election agent and party treasurer in Dublin North
Dublin North
Dublin North is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 4 deputies...
for Seán Haughey
Seán Haughey
Seán Haughey is a former Irish Fianna Fáil politician. He was a Teachta Dála for the Dublin North Central constituency from 1992 to 2011 and is a former Minister of State....
.
Journalism career: 1990–1996
In 1990, she changed careers again, switching to journalism as a reporter with the Sunday Business Post and Sunday TribuneSunday Tribune
The Sunday Tribune was an Irish Sunday broadsheet newspaper published by Tribune Newspapers plc. It was edited in its final years by Nóirín Hegarty, who changed both the tone and the physical format of the newspaper from broadsheet to tabloid. Former editors include Conor Brady, Vincent Browne,...
, working under editor Damien Kiberd
Damien Kiberd
Damien Kiberd is a well-known Irish journalist and commentator. He was one of the four founders of and formerly the editor of The Sunday Business Post. He is also a former business editor of The Irish Press and of the Sunday Tribune. Kiberd has also worked more recently as a presenter of news...
. With a knowledge of business approached with a detailled accounting mind, and hence craving first-hand information, she would follow a story directly to source with little regard for her personal safety, to allow her to engage those she deemed central to a story. This allowed her to build up close relationships with both the legimate authorities, such as the Garda Síochána (Irish police)
Garda Síochána
, more commonly referred to as the Gardaí , is the police force of Ireland. The service is headed by the Commissioner who is appointed by the Irish Government. Its headquarters are located in the Phoenix Park in Dublin.- Terminology :...
, and the criminals, with both sides respecting her diligence by providing highly detailed information. She also reported on Irish Republican Army
Irish Republican Army
The Irish Republican Army was an Irish republican revolutionary military organisation. It was descended from the Irish Volunteers, an organisation established on 25 November 1913 that staged the Easter Rising in April 1916...
activities in the Republic.
From 1994 onwards, she began to write about criminals for Irish newspaper the Sunday Independent
Sunday Independent
The Sunday Independent is a broadsheet Sunday newspaper published in Ireland by Independent News and Media plc. The newspaper is edited by Aengus Fanning, and is the biggest selling Irish Sunday newspaper by a large margin ; average circulation of 291,323 between June 2004 and January 2005,...
. Using her accountancy knowledge to trace the proceeds of illegal activity, she used street names or pseudonyms for underworld
Organized crime
Organized crime or criminal organizations are transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals for the purpose of engaging in illegal activity, most commonly for monetary profit. Some criminal organizations, such as terrorist organizations, are...
figures to avoid Irish libel laws.
When she began to cover drug dealers, and gaining information from convicted drugs criminal John Traynor
John Traynor (criminal)
John "The Coach" Traynor is an Irish criminal. Traynor was one of the contacts in the criminal world for murdered Irish journalist Veronica Guerin.-Career:...
, she received numerous death threats. The first violence against her occurred in October 1994, when two shots were fired into her home after her story on murdered drug kingpin Martin Cahill
Martin Cahill
Martin "The General" Cahill was a prominent Irish criminal from Dublin.Cahill generated a certain notoriety in the media, which referred to him by the sobriquet "The General". The name was also used by the media in order to discuss Cahill's activities while avoiding legal problems with libel...
was published. Guerin dismissed the "warning". The day after writing an article on Gerry "The Monk" Hutch
Gerry Hutch
Gerry Hutch is a former Irish convicted criminal alleged to have been one of Ireland's most successful bank robbers. He is often known by his nickname of The Monk because he is famously clean living and religious, leading a "disciplined, ascetic lifestyle" after leaving prison in 1985. He was born...
, on 30 January 1995, she answered her doorbell to a man pointing a revolver at her head. Traynor had hired the gunman to shoot her in the leg at her home as a warning. Regardless, she vowed to continue her investigations. Independent Newspapers installed a security system to protect her, and the Garda Síochána
Garda Síochána
, more commonly referred to as the Gardaí , is the police force of Ireland. The service is headed by the Commissioner who is appointed by the Irish Government. Its headquarters are located in the Phoenix Park in Dublin.- Terminology :...
(Irish police) gave her a 24-hour escort; however, she did not approve of this, saying that it hampered her work.
On 13 September 1995, convicted criminal John Gilligan, Traynor's boss, attacked her when she confronted him about his lavish lifestyle with no source of income. He later called her at home and threatened to kidnap and rape her son, and kill her if she wrote anything about him.
Guerin received the International Press Freedom Award
CPJ International Press Freedom Awards
The CPJ International Press Freedom Awards honour journalists around the world who show courage in defending press freedom in the face of attacks, threats or imprisonment. Created in 1991, the awards are administered by the Committee to Protect Journalists....
from the Committee to Protect Journalists
Committee to Protect Journalists
The Committee to Protect Journalists is an independent nonprofit organisation based in New York City that promotes press freedom and defends the rights of journalists.-History:A group of U.S...
in December, 1995.
Death
On the evening of the 25 June 1996, Gilligan drug gang members Charles BowdenCharles Bowden (criminal)
Charles Bowden is a convicted Irish criminal, who after turning state's witness in the murder of journalist Veronica Guerin, was the first person to enter the Republic of Ireland's witness protection programme....
, Brian Meehan, Peter Mitchell and Seamus Ward had met at their distribution premises on the Greenmount Industrial Estate. Bowden, the gangs distributor and amunitions quartermaster, had supplied the three with a Colt Python
Colt Python
The Colt Python is a .357 Magnum caliber revolver formerly manufactured by Colt's Manufacturing Company of Hartford, Connecticut. It is sometimes referred to as a "Combat Magnum". It was first introduced in 1955, the same year as Smith & Wesson's M29 .44 Magnum. The now discontinued Colt Python...
revolver loaded with .357 Magnum
.357 Magnum
The .357 S&W Magnum , or simply .357 Magnum, is a revolver cartridge created by Elmer Keith, Phillip B. Sharpe, Colonel D. B. Wesson of firearms manufacturer Smith & Wesson, and Winchester. It is based upon Smith & Wesson's earlier .38 Special cartridge. The .357 Magnum cartridge was introduced in...
Semiwadcutter
Semiwadcutter
A semiwadcutter or SWC is a type of all-purpose bullet commonly used in revolvers. The SWC combines features of the wadcutter target bullet and traditional round nosed revolver bullets, and is used in both revolver and pistol cartridges for hunting, target shooting, and plinking...
bullets.
On 26 June 1996, while Guerin was driving her red Opel Calibra
Opel Calibra
The Opel Calibra, also known as the Vauxhall Calibra in the United Kingdom, the Chevrolet Calibra in South America, and the Holden Calibra in Australia and New Zealand is a sports car engineered and produced by German automaker Opel between 1989 and 1997, but sold until 1999 in the UK...
she stopped at a red traffic light on the Naas Dual Carriageway near Newlands Cross
Newlands Cross
Newlands Cross is a well-known crossroads in SW Dublin in the county of South Dublin.It is the point where the N7 National Route to the South West and Mid West crosses an orbital local route, the R113. Traditionally Newlands Cross was regarded as the place where Dublin City ended and the "country"...
, on the outskirts of Dublin. Not knowing she was being followed, she was shot six times, fatally, by one of two men sitting on a motorcycle. The gun has never been recovered.
About an hour after Guerin was murdered, a meeting took place in Moore Street, Dublin between Bowden, Meehan and Mitchell. Bowden later denied under oath in court that the purpose of the meeting was the disposal of the weapon, but an excuse in a public place to place them away from the incident.
At the time of her murder, Traynor was seeking a High Court order against Guerin, to prevent her from publishing a book about his involvement in organised crime. Guerin was killed two days before she was due to speak at a Freedom Forum
Freedom Forum
The Freedom Forum was created in 1991 under the direction of Al Neuharth, former publisher of USA Today newspaper. Funding was provided by a foundation started by publisher Frank E. Gannett in 1935, called the Gannett Foundation...
conference in London. The topic of her segment was "Dying to Tell the Story: Journalists at Risk."
Her funeral was attended by Ireland's president, prime minister, the head of the armed forces and covered live by Raidió Teilifís Éireann
Raidió Teilifís Éireann
Raidió Teilifís Éireann is a semi-state company and the public service broadcaster of Ireland. It both produces programmes and broadcasts them on television, radio and the Internet. The radio service began on January 1, 1926, while regular television broadcasts began on December 31, 1961, making...
. On July 4, labour unions across Ireland had called for a moment of silence in her memory, which was duly followed by people around the country. Guerin is buried in Dardistown Cemetery
Dardistown, Dublin
Dardistown is an area of north Fingal in Ireland located south of Dublin Airport near Santry. Dardistown is a small populated area.The long term carpark of Dublin airport is located in Dardistown, near one of the runways. It is also home to the Dardistown Cemetery located on the Collinstown road...
, County Dublin
County Dublin
County Dublin is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Dublin Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the city of Dublin which is the capital of Ireland. County Dublin was one of the first of the parts of Ireland to be shired by King John of England following the...
.
Aftermath
Guerin's murder caused outrage, and TaoiseachTaoiseach
The Taoiseach is the head of government or prime minister of Ireland. The Taoiseach is appointed by the President upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas , and must, in order to remain in office, retain the support of a majority in the Dáil.The current Taoiseach is...
John Bruton
John Bruton
John Gerard Bruton is an Irish politician who served as Taoiseach of Ireland from 1994 to 1997. A minister under two taoisigh, Liam Cosgrave and Garret FitzGerald, Bruton held a number of the top posts in Irish government, including Minister for Finance , and Minister for Industry, Trade,...
called it "an attack on democracy". The Oireachtas, the Irish parliament, realised the potential of using tax enforcement laws as a means of deterring and punishing criminals. It then enacted the Proceeds of Crime Act 1996 and the Criminal Assets Bureau Act 1996, so that assets purchased with money obtained through crime could be seized by the government. This led to the formation of the Criminal Assets Bureau
Criminal Assets Bureau
The Criminal Assets Bureau is a law enforcement agency in Ireland, the purpose of which is to recover the proceeds of organised crime. It is a division of the Garda , but reports annually to the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform...
(CAB).
After the murder of Guerin, Bowden like the other members of Gilligan's gang that were still in Ireland was arrested. In an agreement with the Attorney General of Ireland
Attorney General of Ireland
The Attorney General is a constitutional officer who is the official adviser to the Government of Ireland in matters of law. He is in effect the chief law officer in Ireland. The Attorney General is not a member of the Government but does participate in cabinet meetings when invited and attends...
, he agreed to turn state's witness, and become the first person to enter the Republic of Ireland's witness protection programme. Granted complete immunity from prosecution for the murder of Guerin, he was the only witness to give evidence against all four drug gang members at their trials in the Special Criminal Court
Special Criminal Court
The Special Criminal Court is a juryless criminal court in the Republic of Ireland which tries terrorist and organized crime cases. Article 38 of the Constitution of Ireland empowers the Dáil to establish "special courts" with wide-ranging powers when "the ordinary courts are inadequate to secure...
: Patrick Holland; Paul "Hippo" Ward; Brian Meehan; and John Gilligan. The investigation in Guerin's death resulted in over 150 other arrests and convictions, as well as seizures of drugs and arms. Drug crime in Ireland dropped 50% in the following 12 months.
In 1997 while acting as a Garda witness, Bowden named Patrick "Dutchy" Holland
Patrick Holland (criminal)
Patrick Eugene "Dutchy" Holland , was a career Irish criminal, best known for being the first person accused of killing Irish investigative journalist Veronica Guerin, which he denied until his death in prison in England....
in court as the man he supplied the gun to, and hence suspected of shooting Guerin. Holland was never convicted of the murder, and he denied the accusation up until his death in June 2009 while in prison in the UK.
In November 1998, after evidence from Bowden and others, Paul "Hippo" Ward was convicted of the murder and sentenced to life in prison as an accomplice, because he had disposed of the murder weapon and the motorbike. This conviction was later overturned on appeal, though Ward continues to serve a long prison sentence for his participation in a later prison riot.
Brian Meehan fled to Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
with Traynor, but was extradited
Extradition
Extradition is the official process whereby one nation or state surrenders a suspected or convicted criminal to another nation or state. Between nation states, extradition is regulated by treaties...
back to Ireland in late 1997. After the court dismissed additional evidence from Bowden, Meehan was convicted on the testimony of gang member turned state's witness Russell Warren, who had followed Guerin's movements in the hours before the murder, and then called Meehan on a mobile phone with the details. Meehan was convicted of murdering Guerin, and sentenced to life imprisonment.
John Gilligan left Ireland the day before Guerin was murdered, on a flight to Amsterdam. He was arrested 12 months later in the United Kingdom trying to board a flight for Amsterdam, after a routine search of his baggage revealed $500,000 in cash. Claiming it was the proceeds of gambling, he was charged with money laundering
Money laundering
Money laundering is the process of disguising illegal sources of money so that it looks like it came from legal sources. The methods by which money may be laundered are varied and can range in sophistication. Many regulatory and governmental authorities quote estimates each year for the amount...
. After a three year legal battle, he was extradited to Ireland on 3 February 2000. Tried and acquitted
Acquittal
In the common law tradition, an acquittal formally certifies the accused is free from the charge of an offense, as far as the criminal law is concerned. This is so even where the prosecution is abandoned nolle prosequi...
of Guerin's murder, he was later convicted of importing 20 tonnes of cannabis
Cannabis
Cannabis is a genus of flowering plants that includes three putative species, Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis. These three taxa are indigenous to Central Asia, and South Asia. Cannabis has long been used for fibre , for seed and seed oils, for medicinal purposes, and as a...
and sentenced to 28 years in prison, reduced to 20 years on appeal
Appeal
An appeal is a petition for review of a case that has been decided by a court of law. The petition is made to a higher court for the purpose of overturning the lower court's decision....
.
Pursued by CAB, in January 2008, Gilligan made a court appearance in an attempt to stop the Irish State from selling off his assets. He accused Traynor of having ordered Guerin's murder without his permission. Despite the presiding judge's attempt to silence Gilligan, he continued to blame a botched Gardaí investigation and planted evidence as the reason for his current imprisonment. Traynor had fled to Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
after Guerin's murder, and having been on the run from British authorities since 1992, resided mainly in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
from 1996 onwards. After a failed extradition from the Netherlands in 1997, which brough Meehan back to Ireland, in 2010 Traynor was arrested after a joint UK SOCA
Serious Organised Crime Agency
The Serious Organised Crime Agency is a non-departmental public body of the Government of the United Kingdom under Home Office sponsorship...
/Regiokorpsen operation in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, and is set to be extradited back to the UK.
Memorial
A memorial statue to Guerin is located in Dubh Linn Gardens, in the grounds of Dublin CastleDublin Castle
Dublin Castle off Dame Street, Dublin, Ireland, was until 1922 the fortified seat of British rule in Ireland, and is now a major Irish government complex. Most of it dates from the 18th century, though a castle has stood on the site since the days of King John, the first Lord of Ireland...
.
On May 2, 1997, at a ceremony in Arlington, Virginia, her name and those of 38 other international journalists who died in the line of duty in 1996 were added to the Freedom Forum Journalists Memorial. Her husband addressed the audience: "Veronica stood for freedom to write. She stood as light, and wrote of life in Ireland today, and told the truth. Veronica was not a judge, nor was she a juror, but she paid the ultimate price with the sacrifice of her life." Turley remarried in 1998.
In 2007, the Veronica Guerin Memorial Scholarship was set up at Dublin City University
Dublin City University
Dublin City University is a university situated between Glasnevin, Santry, Ballymun and Whitehall on the Northside of Dublin in Ireland...
, offering a bursary
Bursary
A bursary is strictly an office for a bursar and his or her staff in a school or college.In modern English usage, the term has become synonymous with "bursary award", a monetary award made by an institution to an individual or a group to assist the development of their education.According to The...
intended to meet the cost of fees and part of the general expenses of an MA in Journalism student who wishes to specialize in investigative journalism.
In popular culture
- Two films have been based on her story: When the Sky FallsWhen the Sky FallsWhen the Sky Falls is a 2000 film à clef directed by John Mackenzie and filmed in Ireland, starring Joan Allen. The story is based on that of Veronica Guerin, a crime reporter writing about drugs for the Sunday Independent, her investigations and murder.-Cast:*Joan Allen as Sinead Hamilton*Patrick...
, (20002000 in filmThe year 2000 in film involved some significant events.The top grosser worldwide was Mission: Impossible II. Domestically in North America, Gladiator won the Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Actor ....
), starring Joan AllenJoan AllenJoan Allen is an American actress. She worked in theatre, television and film during her early career, and achieved recognition for her Broadway debut in Burn This, winning a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play in 1989.She has received three Academy Award nominations;...
as Sinead Hamilton and Veronica GuerinVeronica Guerin (film)Veronica Guerin is a 2003 Irish biographical film directed by Joel Schumacher. The screenplay by Carol Doyle and Mary Agnes Donoghue focuses on Irish journalist Veronica Guerin, whose investigation into the drug trade in Dublin led to her murder in 1996....
(20032003 in filmThe year 2003 in film involved some significant events. Releases of sequels took place with movies like The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions, Pokémon Heroes, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines,...
), starring Cate BlanchettCate BlanchettCatherine Élise "Cate" Blanchett is an Australian actress. She came to international attention for her role as Elizabeth I of England in the 1998 biopic film Elizabeth, for which she won British Academy of Film and Television Arts and Golden Globe Awards, and earned her first Academy Award...
. - Eleanor McEvoyEleanor McEvoyEleanor McEvoy is one of Ireland's most accomplished contemporary singer/songwriters. McEvoy composed the song Only A Woman's Heart, title track of A Woman's Heart, the best-selling Irish album in Irish history.-Biography:...
features the song, "Easy To Lose Hope", which she wrote shortly after Guerin's murder, on her 1999 album Snapshots. - Heavy metal band SavatageSavatageSavatage is an American heavy metal band founded by the brothers Jon and Criss Oliva in 1978 at Astro Skate in Tarpon Springs, Florida.-Early days :...
has a song about Guerin on their 1998 album The Wake of MagellanThe Wake of Magellan-Personnel:*Zachary Stevens - lead vocals*Jon Oliva – lead vocals , keyboards*Chris Caffery – guitars, backing vocals*Al Pitrelli - guitars, backing vocals*Johnny Lee Middleton – bass guitar, backing vocals...
. - Christy MooreChristy MooreChristopher Andrew "Christy" Moore is a popular Irish folk singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is well known as one of the founding members of Planxty and Moving Hearts...
has written and recorded a song called "Veronica" which appears on his Live in Dublin (2006) CD. (This does not appear on the DVD of the same concert.) - A road in Collingwood ParkCollingwood Park, Western AustraliaFor Collingwood Park in Queensland, see Collingwood Park, Queensland.Collingwood Park is a north-eastern suburb of Albany, Western Australia, just west of the Emu Point holiday resort along King George Sound on the west bank of Oyster Harbour...
, Western Australia is named after her. - Paul Bowen, Irish singer songwriter, composed and recorded a tribute song, "Veronica 1337".
- A biography titled Veronica Guerin: The Life and Death of a Crime Reporter by Emily O'ReillyEmily O'ReillyEmily O'Reilly is an author and former journalist and broadcaster who became Ireland's first female Ombudsman in 2003, succeeding Kevin Murphy....
, published in 1998, questioned the ethics of Guerin's methods of gathering information, and those of the underlying media establishment.
External links
- International Press Institute's Freedom Heroes – A profile of Veronica Guerin
- Recent IFEX articles mentioning Veronica Guerin – International Freedom of Expression ExchangeInternational Freedom of Expression ExchangeThe International Freedom of Expression eXchange , founded in 1992, is a global network of around 90 non-governmental organisations that promotes and defends the right to freedom of expression....
- The Penguin, the Gardai and the Government
- Text, Audio, Video of Veronica Guerin's International Press Freedom Award Acceptance Speech
- Veronica Guerin at FindAGrave.com