Coroner opens eight violent gun death inquests

VIOLENT gun deaths which are the subject of Garda investigations were responsible for eight inquests opened at a coroner’s court yesterday.

The cases include that of apprentice plumber Anthony Campbell, who was shot dead as he worked at a house in Finglas.

The target of the attack was Martin “Marlo” Hyland, aged 39, who was also killed and Mr Campbell was an innocent bystander as he worked at the house in Scribblestown Park, Finglas on December 12, 2006.

Dublin County Coroner Dr Kieran Geraghty granted Detective Inspector Colm Fox of Blanchardstown Garda Station’s application under Section 25.1 of the Coroner’s Act for 12-month adjournment of the inquest into the death of Mr Campbell due to ongoing Garda enquiries.

He granted Inspector Fox 12-month adjournments of a further six inquests into the fatal shootings of Kevin Ledwidge, Joseph Rafferty, Lee Kinsella, Bernard Sugg, Paul Cunningham and Andrew Glennon and into the stabbing of Robert Kwiatowski in April 2006.

Meanwhile, Dr Geraghty granted Detective Inspector Tom O’Connor of Tallaght Garda Station adjournments of inquests into the fatal stabbing of Barry Maguire in the early hours of St Stephen’s Day last and in the case of 30-year-old Gavin Byrne who was shot dead as he sat in a car at a housing estate in Firhouse, near Tallaght in November 2005, again due to ongoing investigations.

Mr Maguire, aged 23, from Ashbourne, Co Meath, was rushed to James Connolly Memorial Hospital, Blanchardstown, in the early hours of December 26, 2007, having been found lying on the road, the opening of his inquest heard yesterday.

A postmortem by the state pathologist, Professor Marie Cassidy found that Mr Maguire, who had earlier celebrated Christmas day with dinner with his mother, sister and brother, died as a result of a stab wound to the chest, causing haemorrhage and injury to the heart and lung.

Another man also received stab wounds during the incident, but they were not fatal.

All of the inquests were adjourned for 12 months until a date in October 2009 under Section 25.1 of the Coroner’s Act 1962.