Gangster who gardai believe organised kidnap and…

Gangster who gardai believe organised kidnap and torture of Kevin Lunney died of heart failure

THE infamous gangster who gardai believe organised the kidnap and torture of Quinn Industrial Holdings boss Kevin Lunney died of heart failure during a raid by armed English cops, it has emerged.

An inquest in the north of England heard yesterday that Cyril ‘Dublin Jimmy’ McGuinness, 55, also had no marks on his body to suggest he had been restrained excessively when he collapsed and died in Derbyshire almost three years ago.

A pathologist said his heart was in such poor condition, he could have collapsed at any time.

McGuinness, who is suspected of being paid thousands of euro by a mastermind to organise the September 2019 attack on Mr Lunney on the Cavan/Fermanagh border, died when cops raided a house in the village in Buxton in November of that year as part of the probe into the crime.

Three men were jailed for between 18 and 30 years for that shocking attack by the Special criminal late last year — but gardai and the PSNI both believe McGuinness was centrally involved in the incident and were hunting him when he died.

Chesterfield Coroner’s Court heard yesterday McGuinness woke in bed at his home in Buxton on November 8, 2019 to find himself surrounded by police officers, during a search requested by the PSNI.

The first day of an inquest before a jury of three men and eight women was told Derbyshire Police forced their way into the property while exercising a warrant on November 8 2019, and that towards the end of their search operation Mr McGuinness went into cardiac arrest.

The inquest was told the warrant was linked to “serious matters” in Northern Ireland for which others stood trial — a reference to the Special Criminal Court case last year.

In that case, Alan Harte, 41, with an address at Island Quay Apartments East Wall, Dublin 3 and the man named in court as the “ringleader” of the attack on Mr Lunney, was jailed for 30 years by the non-jury Special Criminal Court in Dublin in November last year.

And Alan O’Brien, 40, of Shelmalier Road, East Wall in Dublin, received 25 years, while co-accused Darren Redmond, 27, of Caledon Road, East Wall, was sentenced to 18 years with the final three years of the sentence suspended.

All three were found guilty of abducting and intentionally causing serious harm to Mr Lunney, who was kidnapped in Fermanagh, before being tortured and dumped in Cavan.

Forensic pathologist Guy Rutty told yesterday’s inquest he had conducted a post-mortem after being informed that McGuinness, who had significant pre-existing coronary disease, had been placed in handcuffs and was “fully compliant” during the raid.

Asked to comment on whether the stress of the situation may have played a role in Mr McGuinness going into cardiac arrest, Prof Rutty told the jury: “His heart disease had reached a level that could cause sudden death at any time.”