Sister of Limerick crime boss Christy Keane had €124k stashed in attic, court hears

Court also heard Sandra Hehir had accumulated €68,000 in savings over five years and had withdrawn €70,000 to pay down the balance of her mortgage, a position gardaí said was not in line with her legitimate income

Last October, Sandra Hehir, 56, with an address at Assumpta Park, Island Road, Limerick City, pleaded guilty that on June 17, 2020, at the same address she handled, acquired and/or possessed cash to the value of €124,055, knowing or believing (or being reckless as to whether) property in the said premises was the proceeds of criminal conduct. Picture: Paddy Cummins

A sister of convicted Limerick drug dealer Christy Keane who was caught with over €100,000 in cash in her attic told gardaí it was from savings she had made since her husband died, the Special Criminal Court has heard.

The non-jury court also heard on Monday that Sandra Hehir had accumulated €68,000 in savings over five years and had withdrawn €70,000 to pay down the balance of her mortgage, a position gardaí said was not in line with her legitimate income.

Last October, Sandra Hehir, 56, with an address at Assumpta Park, Island Road, Limerick City, pleaded guilty that on June 17, 2020, at the same address she handled, acquired and/or possessed cash to the value of €124,055, knowing or believing (or being reckless as to whether) property in the said premises was the proceeds of criminal conduct.

Ms Fiona Murphy SC, prosecuting, told the court on Monday that five other counts could be taken into consideration. The barrister said a nolle prosequi would be entered in due course on three other counts.

Sentence hearing

At Monday’s sentence hearing, Sergeant Cathal O'Sullivan, from Roxboro Road Garda Station, told Ms Murphy the money-laundering operation in 2020 was designed to target the Keane organised crime group in Limerick, particularly Christy Keane and his nephew.

The sergeant said the defendant Sandra Hehir is the sister of Christy Keane — the "patriarch" of the Keane organised crime group — and the mother of convicted drug dealer Warren Hehir.

Sgt O'Sullivan told the court Sandra Hehir's house was searched on June 17, 2020, and €124,055 in 13 separate bundles was found secured in a plastic sheet in the attic. 

Sandra Hehir told gardaí the money in the attic was from savings she made since her husband died. 

An investigation was launched by gardaí into a property in Kilmurry Court in Garryowen and it was established Sandra Hehir had purchased the property in August 2017 for €128,000 and that €39,000 had been paid by her as a deposit for the house.

An order was later granted seeking documentation from the purchase of Kilmurry Court and the relevant material was received by gardaí. Sandra Hehir was interviewed by gardaí and denied she made the purchase of the house on behalf of her son Warren.

Information received from the Revenue Commissioners showed Sandra Hehir was in receipt of the covid payment and the widow's pension. She was also employed as a hairdresser and together with her pension she earned a total of €35,000 annually.

The defendant's financial accounts were frozen and gardaí established she had accumulated €68,000 in savings over various accounts in the last five years. 

Sgt O'Sullivan said €70,000 was withdrawn from a bank account in March 2018 and was used by the defendant to pay off the remainder of a mortgage on her own property, which she told gardaí was the proceeds of a life assurance policy she had for her late husband. 

"In respect of that life assurance policy for her husband, an analysis was done of the Hehir lifestyle and she should never have been able to afford it," he said.

He said Hehir registered for income tax in 2017 and the business description given was hairdressing. He said she also registered as a PAYE employee and was employed with an address in Limerick at the time of the Garda investigation. 

The sergeant agreed with counsel that on analysis of the defendant's bank accounts "gardaí could say the money in her account during covid was not in line with legitimate income".

Sandra Hehir, he said, was arrested in June 2020 and engaged in six interviews with gardaí. She made no positive admission of the money seized on June 17, 2020, or the money in the bank accounts, he said, adding she provided different accounts for the provenance of the monies.

The defendant told gardaí she was married for 30 years until her husband died in 2017. She said she was earning €600 a week from her hairdressing job and made money from "jobs at home" but was unable to tell gardaí how much that was. 

The witness agreed with counsel it was fair to say that while Sandra Hehir engaged with gardaí she had given them accounts which they weren't satisfied with. "They were conflicted," said the sergeant.

No previous convictions

The court heard she had no previous convictions.

Under cross-examination, Padraig Dwyer SC, defending, put it to Sgt O'Sullivan that his client was not involved in serious criminality. "I considered her a key facilitator in acquiring assets in the purchase of Kilmurry Court," Sgt O'Sullivan said. 

He agreed she was not an active member of the Keane organised crime organisation and had worked in various hair salons since she was 18 years old.

The barrister suggested to the witness his client was "beholden" to her son Warren, who is a convicted drug dealer and that he would have preyed upon her to cooperate by opening bank accounts. 

In reply, the sergeant said while Warren was certainly an active member of an organised crime group he wouldn't agree with the proposition "to that extent". 

"She certainly facilitated the purchasing of the house but in relation to the opening of accounts, she said she was good at saving essentially," he added.

Sgt O'Sullivan agreed the defendant had put a distance between herself and family members since the investigation. He further agreed with counsel that while she gave conflicting accounts in interview, she had given a lot of information to gardaí which was of assistance.

Mr Dwyer said while his client was remorseful and at low risk of reoffending, a probation report might be of assistance to the court.

Mr Justice Michael MacGrath, sitting with Judge Sarah Berkeley and Judge James Faughnan, adjourned the sentence hearing until January 29 and remanded Sandra Hehir on continuing bail until then.