Many people ‘very upset’ over John Gilligan interviews, minister says

By David Young, PA

The Minister for Justice has said many people are “very upset” about a documentary featuring interviews with notorious drug trafficker John Gilligan.

Helen McEntee said she would not be watching the first part of the Virgin Media programme Confessions Of A Crime Boss, which was scheduled to air on Monday evening.

Her comments come after the Jimmy Guerin, the brother of murdered journalist Veronica Guerin, criticised the documentary series featuring drug dealer Gilligan.

The investigative reporter was killed by members of Gilligan’s drugs gang in 1996.

Gilligan was acquitted of the murder of Ms Guerin in 2001 after a 43-day trial at the Special Criminal Court.

Judge Diarmuid O’Donovan said the court had “grave suspicions” about Gilligan’s involvement in Ms Guerin’s murder, but the evidence produced at trial was not enough to convict him.

However, Gilligan was later sentenced to 28 years in prison for drug trafficking that same year.

Ms McEntee was asked about the controversy surrounding the documentary on Monday afternoon prior to it airing.

“To be quite honest this is a man that has created misery for so many people in so many communities and I know there’s a lot of people and families and communities that are very upset by the fact that this documentary is on this evening,” she said.

“He’s someone who has been convicted of very serious offences and I, for one, certainly won’t be watching it.

“I think the producers maybe need to think about what they’re trying to achieve by showing this programme. But this is a person who has been convicted of very serious drug trafficking crimes and who has inflicted untold misery on people and, as I said, I certainly won’t be watching that, and I know many people who won’t be either.”

Virgin Media has been approached for comment.