Detective's killers warned to ‘keep looking over shoulders’

Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan has told the killers of Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe to “keep looking over their shoulders”.

Speaking on the eve of the first anniversary of the murder of the 41-year-old father, the police chief told gang members not involved in the actual shooting that now was the time to come forward “before we come knocking on the door”.

And he sought to reassure people who might be scared to contact gardaí that the force would “leave no stone unturned in terms of protecting them”.

At Dundalk Garda Station yesterday, some hours before the anniversary Mass for Garda Donohoe, Mr Callinan said “his thoughts and those of his colleagues” were with the garda’s widow, Caroline, also a member of the force, and their young children, Amy and Niall.

Det Gda Donohoe was part of a two-man armed escort of a cash delivery when he was shot dead at Lordship Credit Union, at Bellurgan, Jenkinstown, Co Louth, on this day last year.

A massive Garda investigation was put in place to identify and track down the five-man gang behind the murder — the first of a garda in 17 years.

Mr Callinan said that more than 4,000 individual jobs have been undertaken by the investigation team and over 2,100 statements taken.

A colossal 400,000 hours of CCTV have been reviewed, some of which are thought to provide crucial imagery of the attackers and the actual shooting. More than 1,200 exhibits have been gathered and over 30 searches undertaken under warrant.

“We are happy with the progress we have made so far but we still have work to do,” Mr Callinan said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s next week or next year, we will continue to work as hard as we possibly can until we bring the perpetrators of this crime to justice.”

He said he was satisfied they had identified the gang members, some of whom are in the US, on short term holiday visas.

To gang members at the scene or who prepared the robbery, he said: “Now is the time, before we come knocking on the door. I say to the people involved in this crime, keep looking over your shoulder.”