Inquest into gangland hit of David ‘Boogie’ Brett adjourned

AN INQUEST heard yesterday how a convicted drug dealer was shot in the head and neck, in what gardaí believe was a professional hit.

The body of David “Boogie” Brett, aged 34, was discovered in a secluded spot 7km from Ballydesmond, Co Cork, on May 21, 2007.

The inquest in Mallow heard that shortly after 10.20pm, Jeremiah Roche got a phone call from his sister-in-law who said she had seen a body on the road near Foyleoige National School, and a silver car alongside.

Mr Roche, who lives in Newmarket, arrived at the scene with another person about six minutes later, where they saw the body.

“I saw a pool of blood on the ground”, said Mr Roche who immediately contacted Kanturk Garda Station.

Gardaí sealed off the area and about two hours later, a doctor was called.

Mr Brett was officially pronounced dead at 2.30am. His partner of 10 years, Michelle Buckley, officially identified his body at Cork University Hospital.

The couple had recently moved from Cork to Dromina near Charleville and had two sons and a daughter, all aged under 10.

Assistant state pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster told the inquest that Mr Brett died through a combination of haemorrhage and shock, due to gunshot wounds to the head and neck.

Following Dr Bolster’s evidence, Inspector Senan Ryan asked the north Cork coroner, Dr Michael Kennedy, to adjourn the inquest.

Inspector Ryan said gardaí were still carrying out an investigation into his murder.

Dr Kennedy said he would adjourn the inquest for a year.

Nobody has been charged in relation to the murder despite many months of investigation by gardaí.

Mr Brett, who was originally from Greenmount, near Barrack Street in Cork city, was well known to gardaí.

Since the 1990s, he had a number of convictions for drug-related crimes.

He was jailed for four years at Waterford Circuit Court in 1995 for possession of drugs with intent to supply. In 2001, he was given a seven-year suspended sentence for driving another man to pick up €50,000 worth of ecstasy, which was stashed at Ballymartle, Kinsale, Co Cork.

In recent years, David Brett had a clean record but Garda sources indicated he may have had dealings with a gang based in Ballincollig.

Gardaí believe that on the night of his murder, Mr Brett was deliberately lured to the secluded spot near Ballydesmond where he was executed, probably by members of a rival gang.