Gilligan associate quizzed over threat to kill warder

AN ASSOCIATE of crime boss John Gilligan has been questioned by gardaí after allegedly threatening to kill a senior prison officer in Portlaoise Prison.

Paul Ward, who had his conviction for the murder of journalist Veronica Guerin overturned in 1999, is due for release in the coming week.

He is completing a 10-year sentence for his part in a prison siege in Mountjoy Jail in 1997, in which five prison officers were held hostage.

A garda spokesman yesterday confirmed Ward was questioned. “A warrant was obtained to take the prisoner out, we took him out and spoke to him.

“The threat is an allegation. Words were uttered and he may have well have said that. But it’s not a threat from someone who was in a position to make it go any further.”

The incident occurred in the high-security prison just over two weeks ago.

Gardaí are expected to prepare a file for the Director of Public Prosecutions.

A spokesman for the Prison Service said the incident involved “abusive and threatening behaviour”.

While he would not comment on what internal action was taken against Ward, he said typical sanctions included loss of remission and loss of privileges.

Ward, 40, from Crumlin, south Dublin, was originally jailed in July 1999 for 12 years for his part in the Mountjoy Prison siege. The court heard Ward carried a blood-filled syringe during the riot and threatened to hang prison officers.

In October 2002, the Court of Criminal Appeal reduced the sentence to 10 years and backdated it to when he was arrested in November 1997.

After receiving the standard one-quarter remission off his sentence, Ward was due out last month. Following the latest incident, a period of time was taken off his remission.

Ward was the first person to be jailed for the murder of Sunday Independent journalist Veronica Guerin in November 1997.

The Special Criminal Court ruled he was part of the Gilligan gang that had planned the murder, disposed of the motorbike and murder weapon.

However, in March 2002 the Court of Criminal Appeal overturned the murder conviction ruling that the evidence did not support the verdict.

The decision left only one member of the Gilligan gang, Brian Meehan, serving a sentence for Ms Guerin’s murder.

Meehan is currently appealing that verdict.

Gang boss John Gilligan narrowly avoided conviction for the murder but is serving a 20-year-sentence for drug trafficking.