Post-mortem due after gangland shooting

A post-mortem examination is expected to be carried out today on the body of a man found shot dead in the first gangland-style killing of the year.

The bloodied remains of John Paul Joyce were discovered in a ditch by a passer-by walking along Dunbro Lane, behind Dublin Airport, in the Swords area of the capital at around 2pm yesterday.

It is believed the 29-year-old was a member of the travelling community and was well-known to the gardaí.

He had been missing since Thursday.

It is understood he was the brother of Thomas Joyce, who was gunned down in a hail of bullets as he fled several armed men on a halting site in Grove Lane on the Malahide Road in the north of the capital last June.

Charlie Flanagan, Fine Gael’s justice spokesman, hit out at Government cutbacks on the gardaí, saying senior positions in the force must be filled to stop the death toll.

“The laws are only as good as the resources that are available to gardaí and, in the context of garda cutbacks, I would hope that all senior promotions within the gardaí are filled and those responsible for gangland killings will be brought to justice,” the Laois-Offaly TD said.

Joyce’s body was taken to Connolly Hospital in Blanchardstown where a post-mortem is expected to be carried out today.

Gardaí probing the murder sealed off the area where the body was found and were carrying out a detailed technical examination of the scene for clues, while detectives tried to establish an exact motive for the attack.

They also appealed for anyone with information on the killing to come forward.

Mr Joyce’s 21-year-old brother was also well-known to gardaí and a member of a large, well-organised drug trafficking gang.