O’Donoghue defends McDowell stance on gun crime

One of Michael McDowell's cabinet colleagues is defending his handling of Dublin's worsening spate of gun crime.

Two Lithuanian men are recovering in hospital following the fourth separate incident involving firearms in the capital since last weekend.

They were shot when a gang called to a house on Ashington Heath off the Navan Road.

However, Arts Minister John O'Donoghue, a former justice minister himself, said this afternoon that opposition cr iticism of the Justice Minister's record on the issue is unjustified: “I’m quite satisfied that the Minister for Justice today is seeking to do all he can to deal with that problem (gun crime).

“In dealing with that problem there is no reason why he should listen to people who are against serious reforms in Irish criminal law, who did nothing about the problem when they were in government and seek to lecture the Government now that the are out.”