David Byrne (criminal)

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David Byrne
Born
Died5 February 2016[1]
OccupationCriminal
Known forAssociate of Christy Kinahan's gang

David Byrne (died 2016) was an Irish criminal associated with the Kinahan Organised Crime Group run by Christy Kinahan.[1] His parents were James and Sadie Byrne (née Roe).[2] He was from Raleigh Square in Crumlin.[1]

He was a first cousin of Freddie Thompson.[1] His brother Liam is also involved in crime.[3]

Both Byrne and associate Graham "the wig" Whelan were questioned over the murder of Gary Bryan in 2006, but no charges were brought.[4]

He was the father of one daughter and two sons.[5]

Criminal history[edit]

He had been investigated by every Garda specialist unit since he was a teenager.[6]

In June 2002 he was the target of a gun attack in south inner-city Dublin, but he escaped without injury.[5]

He was present at the fatal stabbing of Declan Gavin in August 2001 in Crumlin, Dublin.[6] He was called as a witness in the trial of Brian Rattigan for the killing but said he had seen nothing.[6]

David Byrne had been arrested many times and was a suspect in the murder of Gary Bryan in Walkinstown in 2006.[1]

In January 2016, Gardaí had a special policing plan put in place for the following month when two boxing events would be attended by members of a criminal gang associated with Christy Kinahan.[7] The Kinahan gang have a long association with boxing both in Dublin and Marbella.[8]

Death[edit]

He was shot dead in an armed attack at a weigh-in for a boxing event at the Regency Hotel in Dublin.[1] His brother Liam was one of the pallbearers at the funeral.[5]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f Foy, Ken (6 February 2016). "Murder victim David Byrne (34) was one of the capital's most notorious gangland criminals". Irish Independent. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  2. ^ Lally, Conor (30 March 2019). "Liam Byrne: Daniel Kinahan's lieutenant in Dublin". Irish Times. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  3. ^ Reynolds, Paul (2 March 2019). "How a Dublin house was at the heart of a crime gang's stronghold". RTE News. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  4. ^ Schiller, Robin (15 November 2021). "Kinahan cartel associate Graham 'The Wig' Whelan jailed for money laundering". TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  5. ^ a b c Foy, Ken; O'Keefe, Alan. "Gang feud victim remembered as a 'Happy Harry' who took his pet rabbit for walks". The Herald.
  6. ^ a b c Lally, Conor (7 February 2016). "David Byrne profile: Victim one of a new breed of criminal". The Irish Times. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  7. ^ Foy, Ken (30 January 2016). "Armed gardai on alert as Kinahan mob fly in for boxing events". The Herald. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  8. ^ Foy, Ken (6 February 2016). "Kinahan mob is heavily involved in professional boxing". Irish Independent. Retrieved 23 June 2020.