Wife of Keane gang member spared jail after spending €59k renovating house from crime cash
‘Mid-level’ husband sentenced to five years in prison after his guilty plea
A MOTHER-of-three who used cash raised through the activities of the Keane crime gang to renovate a house has been spared a prison sentence.
Vicky Hehir pleaded guilty to laundering money by handing over €12,000 in cash to a builder to carry out works at a home in Limerick city.
The Special Criminal Court previously heard she was not working at the time and had no legitimate source of income other than child allowance.
That money, along with other cash and Rolex watches that were subsequently seized by gardaí, was the proceeds of criminal activity related to the Keane organised criminal group.
At the three-judge court yesterday, Judge Michael MacGrath said that to impose a custodial sentence on Ms Hehir would be ‘unduly harsh’ on her children and would have a disproportionate effect on them. He sentenced
Prison term would be ‘unduly harsh’
her to two years in prison, fully suspended, on condition she refrain from any contact with members of the Keane gang or any organised crime group and reside away from the Keane strongholds in the Garryowen and Kilmurry areas of Limerick.
Her husband Warren Hehir, 33, – a ‘mid-level’ member of the gang who is the nephew of murdered crime boss Kieran Keane – was sentenced to five years and three months in prison with the final 12 months suspended, also on the condition that he refrain from contact with members of any organised criminal group.
Ms Hehir, 30, also known as Victoria O’Halloran, of Bruach na Sionna, Castleconnell, Co. Limerick, and her husband, of the same address, appeared before the court to hear their sentences yesterday.
Hehir had pleaded guilty at a previous hearing that on dates between August 8, 2019, and 17 June, 2020, he possessed, used, converted, transferred or handled cash to the value of €59,000, knowing or believing the property was the proceeds of criminal conduct.
He also pleaded guilty that on June 17, 2020 at The Path, Garryowen, he handled, acquired or possessed a Rolex watch knowing, believing or being reckless as to whether the watch was the proceeds of criminal conduct.
Ms Hehir has pleaded guilty to one charge of money laundering in relation to the €59,000 for the works carried out at Kilmurry Court. The court heard that she handed over €12,000 to a builder on the instructions of her husband who was in prison at the time.
Judge MacGrath said that her involvement in money laundering was solely due to her marriage and he placed her offending at the lower end of the scale.
In relation to her husband, the judge put his offending at the mid-level but also noted that his activities as a drug dealer were confined to ‘street dealing’ and did not suggest that he is a ‘master criminal’.
He does not have the trappings of wealth or luxury that a higher level criminal might have and appears to have processed the benefits of crime for others rather than enjoying them for himself, the judge said.
There was evidence Hehir is a ‘devoted family man and father’ and will be a significant loss to his family when in prison.
Judge MacGrath said the most significant mitigating factor for Hehir was that he had pleaded guilty at an early stage.
Having set a headline sentence of seven years and three months, the judge reduced that to five years and three months with the final 12 months suspended. He said the court hopes that Hehir, who has 54 previous convictions including for money laundering and drug offences, will ‘turn away from further criminal activity’.
The judge said it is incumbent on Hehir to ‘demonstrate his commitment to his children and be a law-abiding citizen and adopt a law-abiding way of life’, as part of the conditions of his suspended sentence. The court also ordered the forfeiture of two Rolex watches and all the money that was seized as part of the investigation.
At a sentencing hearing last November, Sergeant Cathal O’Sullivan, from Roxboro Road Garda Station, told prosecuting counsel Fiona Murphy that the money laundering charges arose from an investigation to target the Keane Organised Crime Group in Limerick, which has its stronghold in Garryowen.
The sergeant said that the Keane Organised Crime Group and its associates are suspected of the importation of firearms and drugs on a national and international level.
He said that various searches of properties took place and one of the search warrants granted was for a property at The Path in Garryowen.
He said two items of relevance were discovered at this address on June 17, 2020, namely a men’s Rolex watch, which was valued at €13,600, and a woman’s Rolex worth €6,000.
Other items found were plans for a house at Kilmurry Court that were in the names of Warren and Vicky Hehir.
Sgt O’Sullivan agreed with Vincent Heneghan, representing Ms Hehir, that his client had somewhat co-operated with the investigation by answering some questions of assistance.
The barrister also told the court that Vicky Hehir had moved away from Limerick city and is now based in Castleconnell. The witness agreed she is a full-time mother to her three children and dedicates herself to that role.
Mr Heneghan said his client ‘doesn’t have any involvement nowadays with anyone connected to the gang’.
He is not a ‘master criminal’