IRA hoax gang leader jailed for five years

The leader of a gang who organised a savage attack on the former owner of two massage parlours and threatened him for money in the name of the IRA was jailed today for five years.

A jury at Cork Circuit Criminal Court returned unanimous guilty verdicts against Edward Buckley (aged 33) of Manor Hill, Ballincollig, Co Cork, and now of Park Road, Muskerry Estate, Ballincollig, Co Cork, on two charges on the indictment, namely assault John O’Connor at a house in Macroom in February 2000 and demanding money with menaces from him at his home in Hazel Road, Togher, Cork, in April 1999.

Judge Sean O’Dunnabhain said: "You were the leader of what was an act of significant criminality, organised and continuous, akin to organised crime.

"You followed him (Mr O’Connor) into the wilds of West Cork. You saw a weakness and decided to exploit it as best you could for as much money as you could get out of it. There was a desire to use as much violence as necessary.

"I can not give you any discount on your sentence for remorse, you did not have any, you did not show any, you do not have any now. You tried every trick in the book.”

The judge imposed five years for demanding money with menaces and three years for assault.

Judge O’Donnabhain said that he was not adding anything to the sentence for the way Buckley carried out what was effectively a character assassination on John O’Connor in the course of the weeklong trial.

Before the jury went out to consider their verdict Judge O’Donnabhain said to them in relation to

considering the evidence about the injured party, Mr O’Connor, "You are not the morality police, you are not even the Revenue Commissioners."

Summing up the case Detective Sergeant Jerry McCarthy said, "It is believed by the State there was no IRA involvement, this was a scam organised by Mr Buckley. He would have been the leader of the gang as far as the gardai are concerned."

He said that while Buckley did not lay a finger on Mr O’Connor he organised the threats and the assault.