‘Unlawful killing’ verdict in gangland-style shooting

A jury has returned a verdict of unlawful killing following an inquest into the death of a man gunned down in front of his partner and her two children in a gangland-style shooting in Cork City just over six years ago.

The jury at Cork City Coroner’s Court took less than five minutes to decide the verdict after hearing detailed evidence from Gerald ‘Topper’ Staunton’s partner, Karen Quilligan O’Flynn, about his final moments on January 20, 2010.

She told the inquest that she and her partner, 41, left their home at Westlawn, off Sarsfield’s Rd on the southside of Cork City, just before 8pm that night. She said she was holding her two-year-old daughter in her arms, and was walking down the drive just behind Mr Staunton, who had just placed her seven-year-old daughter in the back seat of his new 07 Audi A4, which was parked on the road outside, when she heard footsteps running.