LUNNEY TORTURE GANGSTER ‘DUBLIN JIMMY’ DIED FROM HEART FAILURE...
Inquest hears how 55-year-old went into cardiac arrest during police raid
THE gangster who gardai believe organised the kidnap and torture of businessman Kevin Lunney died of heart failure during a raid by armed English cops.
An inquest heard yesterday Cyril “Dublin Jimmy” Mcguinness, 55, had no marks on his body to suggest he had been restrained excessively when he collapsed and died almost three years ago.
A pathologist said his heart was in such poor condition he could have collapsed at any time.
Mcguinness is suspected of being paid thousands of euro by a mastermind to organise the brutal attack on the Quinn Industrial Holdings boss on the Cavan/fermanagh border in September 2019.
He died when cops raided a house in the village in Buxton, Derbyshire, two months later as part of the probe into the crime.
Three men were jailed for between 18 and 30 years by the Special Criminal Court late last year for their roles in the atrocity.
But gardai and the PSNI believe Mcguinness was centrally involved in and were hunting him when he died.
SURROUNDED
Chesterfield Coroner’s Court heard yesterday he was woken at his home in Buxton to find himself surrounded by police officers wearing stab-proof vest.
The first day of an inquest was told Derbyshire Police forced their way into the property while exercising a warrant requested by the PSNI.
And towards the end of their search on November 8, 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 last November.
Alan O’brien, 40, of Shelmalier Road, also East Wall, was handed a 25-year stretch.
His co-accused Darren Redmond, 27, whose address was given as Caledon Road, East Wall, was sentenced to 18 years with the final three 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 Derbyshire area coroner Peter Nieto he had conducted the postmortem.
He had been informed Mcguinness, who had significant pre-existing coronary disease, had been placed in handcuffs and was “fully compliant” during the raid. Prof Rutty said Mr Mcguinness had been given a nicotine patch by police after requesting one, as well as being allowed to have a cigarette.
The pathologist told the inquest: “After about 45 minutes to 60 minutes I understand that he started to become unwell.
“He asked for his inhaler and he self-administered this.
“However, his condition deteriorated, an ambulance was called, the officers at the scene gave him first aid and he must have arrested as CPR was started.”
An ambulance got to the scene at 8.28am and arrived at Stockport’s Stepping Hill Hospital at 9.40am but Mcguinness was pronounced dead 15 minutes later.
Prof Rutty told the jury: “His heart disease had reached a level that could cause sudden death at any time.
“I found no marks to suggest that he had been excessively restrained against his will or was subjected to any form of trauma.
“He could have just had a heart attack at any moment whatsoever.
“The other possibility is that the stress and the situation that he was in, ie the police entering where he was, the handcuffs... caused him to have a heart attack.
“Anything that increases your blood pressure or pulse rate could tip the balance.”
During questions put by a lawyer representing Mcguinness’s widow, it emerged he was arrested wearing underpants and was then allowed to remove his handcuffs to put a top on, before being permitted to enter the garden to smoke.
The pathologist added: “He is not resisting and that’s the complete opposite to the cases which I normally see where they are shouting, fighting, trying to break free. That’s not the case here.
“He’s an hour into this... and his heart is so bad that he can literally drop down dead at any second.”
The first day of the inquest, which is expected to finish tomorrow, was told police body-worn cameras were turned off at some point during the incident.
The hearing continues.