TV appeal boost for murder hunt

GARDAÍ investigating a double murder in Dublin earlier in this month were delighted by the response from a television appeal on Tuesday.

Detectives hunting the killers of Brian Downes and Edward Ward on October 5 said they are investigating a number of leads following their appeal on Crimecall.

Gardaí received a number of phone calls in relation to the movement of the motorbike used in the shooting, which happened at a garage run by Mr Downes on the Greenhills Road, Walkinstown, south Dublin.

Gardaí said the motorbike, carrying two men, had done a “dry run” and travelled around the Walkinstown roundabout and up Greenhills Road to see if Mr Downes was at the garage. They then drove down Greenhills Road to the roundabout and back around onto the Greenhills Road and up to the garage.

Gardaí said the passenger got off the bike while the driver stayed on the road. The gunman fired 12 shots, fatally injuring Mr Downes and Mr Ward, who Gardaí consider an innocent party.

Gardaí said the motorbike driver allowed some traffic to pass him, before his accomplice got back on. They drove down to the Walkinstown roundabout, onto Walkinstown Avenue and across to the Kylemore Road in Ballyfermot.

Gardaí have not recovered the bike, which may have been driven into a nearby industrial estate.

They are looking for anybody who may have been seen acting suspiciously as well as anybody who saw the movements of the bike.

Gardaí are investigating separate leads as to the possible motive for the attack.

One is that Mr Downes failed to pay an INLA boss protection money.

Another is that he had invested money for criminals in property deals abroad and that these went bust.

A third theory is he may have been suspected as being a tout for gardaí. Some of the cars and vans he supplied to criminals were later stopped by gardaí and drugs were found in them.