Violent criminal wanted for shooting Irishman in Spain

THE man at the centre of an international police hunt following the shooting dead of an Irish father-of-two has a string of convictions for violent crime and has been on the run from British police for four years.

A Spanish judge yesterday issued a Europe-wide arrest warrant for Darren O’Flaherty, 35, who is wanted in connection with the shooting of 40-year-old Dubliner John O’Neill outside Coco’s bar in Benalmadena, Costa del Sol, on Wednesday morning.

Originally from Liverpool, O’Flaherty has faced charges of grievous bodily harm, assaulting a police officer, dangerous driving with intent, conspiracy to kidnap, robbery and gang membership dating back to the mid-1990s.

While he has served time in prison for some of the offences, he fled to the Costa del Sol before his kidnap and robbery trial in 2006.

He remained in the Costa del Sol until his disappearance after Wednesday morning’s attack.

In September 1995, O’Flaherty was brought before Liverpool Crown Court on charges of stabbing a man nine times outside a nightclub in a violent, unprovoked midnight assault in December 1994.

The then 21-year-old was found guilty of grievous bodily harm and given five years in jail.

In October 1999 the then 25-year-old, who had been released from prison early, was before the courts again after inflicting serious head injuries on a police officer.

O’Flaherty was sentenced to a number of years in prison for the assault.

In 2006, he was again before the courts on conspiracy to kidnap and robbery charges before fleeing to Spain.