Collins faces ongoing intimidation by gang who murdered son

STEVE COLLINS yesterday spoke of the ongoing campaign of intimidation being waged against him and his family by the gang who were behind the murder of his son Roy.

He also raised the new dangers he faces with the imminent release from prison of members of a notorious Limerick gang.

One, he said, was due for release this week.

Mr Collins said: “There are four brothers, three of them locked up, there is another one due out shortly, and another guy who we got involved over this thing from the start when we gave witness against him for threatening to kill my son, is due out on the anniversary of my son’s death.”

He said while they had runners, they can organise things better when they are not in prison. “They get more dangerous as they are out around you,” he said.

Mr Collins said these gang members are always trying to get at him.

He told Joe Duffy and the RTÉ Liveline programme: “They are always trying to intimidate. Numerous occasions. They are following you. There was an incident a few months ago when I had to chase them up into their area, where they were taunting and threatening to kill my other son. I chased after them and stopped them and we ended up getting attacked by 20 or 30 of them who came over the walls with chains and batons to attack the car. We were lucky to get away with our lives that day, you know. You get that kind of stuff. They will come up outside the business and sit there and do nothing and the guards will try to move them on. They will buy a burger and sit down and say ‘I only bought a burger, I’m only sitting there’, they are there to intimidate and you get all this thing on a regular basis.”

Steve said he ‘lost it’ when they threatened his other son and he decided to go after them.

He said it had been a set up by the gang to get him down into their area only for them to attack him.

Roy Collins, 35, was shot dead on Holy Thursday last as he worked at the family business in Roxboro shopping centre.

Gardaí believe it was a revenge attack for evidence given by a family member which led to a gang member being jailed for 10 years.

More than 5,000 marched through the city last May in a show of solidarity with the Collins family.

Justice Minister Dermot Ahern said a meeting with Steve Collins was a major factor in his decision to bring in new legislation to crack down on gangs.

Mr Collins said his family have derived much strength from the support of the people of Limerick.