Jim Donegan: €23,000 reward offered for information about 2018 murder

By Jonathan McCambridge, PA

A reward of up to £20,000 (€23,000) is being offered for information which could help police solve the murder of James Donegan in 2018.

PSNI detectives have made a renewed appeal on the fifth anniversary of Mr Donegan’s death in Belfast.

Independent charity Crimestoppers has announced the reward for information it exclusively receives that leads to the arrest and conviction of those involved.

Mr Donegan, known as Jim, was murdered as he waited for his 13-year-old son outside his school around 3.15pm in west Belfast on December 4th, 2018.

The 43-year-old was shot several times by a lone gunman in broad daylight as he sat inside his red Porsche Panamera, registration JDZ34, on the Glen Road.

A PSNI spokesperson said: “This was a brutal execution and there can be no justification for it whatsoever.

“Mr Donegan was shot in the immediate vicinity of three schools and at the time there were a large number of schoolchildren in the area.

“The gunman, who we believe to be aged in his 40s, was wearing a hi-vis jacket with the word ‘security’ on the back of it and made off from the scene on foot.

“Today, on the fifth anniversary of Mr Donegan’s murder, we are making a specific appeal to those who were in the area at the time of this cold-blooded execution.

“If you have any information, no matter how insignificant it may seem, please come forward to police.”

The spokesperson added: “Jim was a husband, a brother, a father to two sons and a stepfather and his family now sadly face their fifth Christmas without him. His family deserve answers and justice for his murder.

“I am appealing to anyone with information, or who may have captured dash cam footage, to come forward.

“I also want to highlight the reward of up to £20,000 from the independent charity Crimestoppers and understand that people may be afraid to speak up, but please be assured that you stay completely anonymous when you pass on what you know directly to Crimestoppers.”

If you have information, call police on 101 or submit a report online at www.psni.police.uk/makeareport.

A spokesperson for Crimestoppers said: “Our charity is here to support anyone with information about crime, but who doesn’t want to give personal details or talk to the police.

“With Crimestoppers, we’re only interested in what you know, not who you are or your identity.

“We are available 24/7 online at Crimestoppers-uk.org or by calling our Contact Centre on 0800 555 111. Your information could make all the difference.”