The widow of one of three prolific criminals killed in a horror road crash almost a year ago has admitted she “can’t cope” with his passing and he “didn’t deserve” what happened to him.
Tallaght criminals Graham Taylor, 31, Karl Freeman, 26 and 29-year-old Dean Maguire made international headlines after the car they were travelling in collided head-on with a lorry as they drove the wrong way down the N7 near Rathcoole, Co Dublin, on the night of July 7 last year.
All three died in the burning vehicle.
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The trio, who had more than 200 previous convictions between them, were main players in a gang who used the motorway network to carry out burglaries in rural areas.
Now, Dean’s wife Sallyann has stated on social media just before the first anniversary of his death, that “No one will ever understand the pain in my heart over my lovely husband”.
She posted a photograph of her and her late husband in happier times on her Facebook page where she describes herself as “wife of the true legend, my Dean Maguire, the one and only. Left broken hearted 7-7-21”.
She captioned the photograph: “Can’t cope with the thought of what’s after happening to us. We didn’t deserve this. We had our full lives ahead of us.”
She placed six heartbroken emojis after the caption.
Last September, just two months after the horror crash, Sallyann took to social media when the roadside memorial to the three crash victims was vandalised.
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It was targeted three times over an eight week period – with a sign “Burn Scum” placed at the site and photographs of the criminals ripped away.
Sallyann wrote: “This is the third time in the last eight weeks that someone has ripped my pictures off the road. They have been at my husband’s grave twice but to make it worse they put this sign up.”
She also warned that if she finds out who the culprit is “you will meet Dean Maguire quicker than you think. Instead of hiding like the coward you are”.
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Maguire’s funeral, in which a screwdriver and torch were placed on the altar apparently to honour his criminal past, attracted widespread condemnation, and the clergy involved reportedly contacted gardai with concerns about the service getting out of control.
Some mourners were also condemned for glorifying criminality after they placed items on the altar praising Maguire’s burglary skills - including a screwdriver and a torch.
A professionally printed banner featuring Maguire’s face and the words “You know the score, get on the floor, don’t be funny, show me the money” was also brought to the church.
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Even before his funeral service, Dean Maguire’s associates created controversy with a high-speed convoy through Crumlin and parts of Dublin, allegedly flouting the rules of the road.
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