I played dead as gunman pumped 5 bullets into me
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CRIMELORD John Gilligan has revealed for the first time how a hitman pumped five bullets into him – as he played dead.
The crook, who ran the ruthless gang that murdered journalist Veronica Guerin, suffered a fractured skull and lost a chunk of his nose in the botched hit. He said: “I lay on the floor – I just played dead. I thought I was a goner for sure.” His revelations come in a series of tapes obtained by the Irish Mirror which lift the lid on a life of crime, from petty thief to one of Europe’s biggest drug dealers.
I thought I was a goner. If I hadn’t played dead I wouldn’t be here now JOHN GILLIGAN ON MURDER BID IN 2014
GANGSTER John Gilligan has revealed how he played dead after a hitman pumped five bullets into him.
The former crimelord lay on the floor as the would-be assassin fired shot after shot into him, taking a chunk out of his nose. The tiny crook, who once controlled the vicious gang that murdered journalist Veronica Guerin in June 1996, suffered a fractured skull but survived the botched hit on March 1, 2014. He said: “I lay on the floor – I just played dead. I thought I was a goner for sure. If I hadn’t done that, I wouldn’t be here to tell the tale now.” Gilligan’s revelations come in an explosive series of interviews obtained by the Irish Mirror which – in the gangster’s own words – lift the lid on a life of crime from petty thief to becoming one of Europe’s biggest drug dealers. The 65-year-old was released in 2013, after serving 17 years of a 20-year prison sentence. The attempt on his life took place at his brother’s home in Greenfort Crescent, Clondalkin, West Dublin. Two gunmen knocked on the door and when it was answered, they ran in and chased Gilligan into a bathroom, where they blasted him a number of times. The notorious one-time crime godfather suffered injuries to his head, nose, chest, hip and leg, as the bullets ripped into him. One slug went through his chest, narrowly missing his heart and lungs. Another shattered his hip and entered his stomach. Paramedics were called just after 7pm that evening and took him to James Connolly Memorial Hospital in Blanchardstown. Despite being hit several times, the pint-sized criminal remained conscious and was able to talk to medical staff as they battled to save his life. He spent weeks in hospital under armed guard before fleeing the country. He needed a colostomy bag but it didn’t stop him heading for the UK in a wheelchair. It was the first attempt to kill the most hated man in Ireland since his release from jail on October 15, 2013. Immediately after he was freed, gardai had warned he was a marked man. But the arrogant crook refused Garda protection and nearly paid for it with his life. In early December 2013, a hitman stormed into the Halfway House pub near the Phoenix Park, shouting: “Where’s
Gilligan? In fact the wily gangster had a premonition of his death and went to another pub instead. He explained: “I was going to go to the Halfway House and I was halfway there and I just didn’t feel right. “Halfway there to the Halfway House, I says, ‘No’. I changed my mind. I didn’t go all the way – I only went half the way. “It was a coincidence it was the Halfway House. “I wasn’t there so it didn’t matter but it was not nice. “For want of a better word, where it came from, I was actually gutted. Every day since, my stomach is... I have no fear. “I thought it was just a Halloween prank but it was the worst one ever. “I believe I haven’t an enemy in the world. To have an enemy you must do something to somebody.” Gilligan forgets that as Public Enemy No1, he was the most reviled man in Ireland. Despite his claims of bravado and warped delusions he was a modern-day Robin Hood, he ended up fleeing to the UK in a wheelchair in a bid to stay a step ahead of another bullet. The man who was once untouchable had to seek refuge in Traveller halting sites across the English Midlands for almost two years. In the end he almost fell foul of the community and, in turn, had to flee them and head back to Ireland last year. But even his driver didn’t escape the hitmen on his tail. Bodyguard Stephen “Dougie” Moran was shot dead outside his home in Lucan, Co Dublin, in March 2014, just over a fortnight after Gilligan was pumped full of bullets. Knowing he was a potential target as Gilligan’s security guard, 46-year-old Moran had been wearing a bullet-proof vest when he was shot several times. He died soon afterwards in hospital. ■■John Gilligan carried out a series on interviews upon his release from prison, hoping for a lucrative book deal – which never materialised. An Irish Mirror team travelled to Europe and obtained the sensational tapes and video. At no stage did the Irish Mirror have any dealings or contact with Gilligan or his associates, nor has he received any payment of any kind from us.