Gilligan jailed for five years

Convicted drugs dealer John Gilligan smiled and said "Keep it clean" after he was jailed for five years by the Special Criminal Court today for threatening to kill two prison officers and their families.

The court ordered that Gilligan should serve two concurrent five year prison sentences at the end of the twenty eight years sentence he is already serving for drugs offences.

Mr Justice Richard Johnson, presiding, said the court took the threats uttered by Gilligan to two prison officers after a row over the opening of a prison tuck shop "very seriously."

The judge said: "They came from the accused, a person described by his own counsel Mr Michael O' Higgins, as a notorious and dangerous criminal."

"Threats of the nature to have been uttered by a person such as John Gilligan are of the most serious kind," the judge added.

The judge said that Gilligan was a man who has "a significant criminal record."

He said that he has served prison sentences for assault and for receiving stolen property and is currently serving a 28 years sentence imposed by the court in March 2001.

He said that within a week of commencing his sentence Gilligan took it upon himself to threaten the two prison officers.

The judge said the court accepted that the prison atmosphere is "fraught" and can lead to flashpoints but the threats issued by Gilligan did not fall within any acceptable limit to be explained away by the prison atmosphere.

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 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 15th last year for importing cannabis resin.

John Gilligan (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.

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 twenty eight years for drugs offences last year.

Officer 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.

Officer Ryan said that when Gilligan was being strip searched he threatened that officers Ryan and O' Reilly would be killed and that their families would be ``done'' as well.

Officer Ryan also said that he and his family were still seeing a psychiatrist as a result of the threats.

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 twenty eight 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.''

Convicting Gilligan, Mr Justice Johnson said the court did not accept Gilligan's account and was satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that the account related by officers Ryan and O' Reilly was accurate and that an assault on officer Ryan took place.