Gilligan found guilty of threatening prison officers

Convicted drugs dealer John Gilligan was found guilty by the Special Criminal Court today of threatening that two prison officers at Portlaoise prison would be killed, but he was cleared of assaulting one of the officers.

Mr Justice Richard Johnson, presiding, said the court was satisfied that an assault had taken place, but was not satisfied that it fell within Section 3 of the Non-Fatal-Offences-Against-the-Person Act of 1997. Section 3 specifies an assault causing harm.

Gilligan was remanded in custody for sentencing on Thursday.

Gilligan had pleaded not guilty to assaulting prison officer Martin Ryan causing him harm at Portlaoise Prison on March 25 last year.

He had also denied threatening Mr Ryan that he would be killed and with also threatening prison officer Declan O' Reilly that he would be killed on the same date.

Gilligan is serving a 28-year prison sentence imposed by the Special Criminal Court on March 15 last year for importing cannabis resin.

John Gilligan, aged 50, with addresses at Corduff Avenue, Blanchardstown, Dublin, Jessbrook Equestrian Centre, Mucklon, Enfield, Co Kildare, was convicted then of 11 offences of unlawfully importing cannabis resin into the State on various dates between July 1, 1994 and October 6, 1996, that he unlawfully possessed cannabis resin for sale or supply on the same dates and that on or about October 3, 1996 at Greenmount Industrial Estate, Harold's Cross, Dublin he had cannabis resin for sale or supply.

He was cleared of the murder of journalist Veronica Guerin on June 26, 1996.

Superintendent Philip Lyons said that Gilligan had 27 previous convictions, the most recent being in March last year.

He said that he was convicted in 1993 of common assault and jailed for six months. The Superintendent said that in 1990 Gilligan was jailed for four years by the Special Criminal Court for receiving stolen property.

Gilligan’s counsel Mr Michael O’ Higgins SC said that the threat was uttered ``in the heat of the moment’’ within the prison environment where there are flashpoints, fuses are shortened and words are exchanged.

He said that Gilligan has already been punished inside the prison by loss of remission and privileges.

Counsel said that under the Criminal Law Jurisdiction Act of 1976 any sentence must run consecutively from the expiry of the 28 years sentence he is currently serving.

Mr O’ Higgins said that by the time his sentence is expired Gilligan will be in his early seventies. ``It is unlikely that at that stage he will be considered an ongoing threat,’’ he added.

The court heard during the three day trial that Gilligan punched Assistant Chief Officer Martin Ryan in the jaw just ten days after he was jailed for 28 years for drugs offences last year.

Mr Ryan told the court during the trial that Gilligan punched him as he escorted him to a professional visit with his lawyer in the prison.

Officer Ryan told the court that Gilligan wanted to use the tuck shop and went to seek permission from the Chief Officer.

He said that Gilligan had struck him with his clenched fist on the jaw when he returned from seeing the Chief Officer.

In evidence at the trial Gilligan said that he told prison officer Ryan that he had to open the tuck shop because the Chief had said so.

``He said: You are only a c...t Gilligan, I hope you do every day of your 28 years. I said you are a bigger c...t. He went to push me,'' Gilligan said.

He said that while he was being strip searched he overheard officer Ryan tell another prison officer:``I'll sort him out when he gets back on the landing.''