Criminal jailed for horror machete attack outside Garda station
Thug, 27, handed three-year term after frenzied stabbing amid drugs dispute
A CRIMINAL who attacked another thug with a machete outside a Garda station “cracked” after his innocent relatives were targeted in a drugs feud.
The Irish Mirror can reveal how Kinahan-linked Mr Flashy’s mob gave Martin Cunningham refuge as gardai launched a manhunt for the father after the stabbing more than three years ago.
Cunningham, 27, was yesterday handed down a three-year sentence over the crazed attack outside Finglas Garda Station in April 2019.
He had sided with the Finglas “Gucci Gang”, who teamed up with former members of the Westies, as they took on a West Dublin drug-dealing group based in Corduff.
The dispute saw more than 70 incidents from January 2019, including arson, a shooting outside a school, beatings and online threats. Sources said
Cunningham “spun out of control” after his female associate, who was completely innocent and had no involvement in crime, was targeted.
His home was also shot at and windows put in with hammers when his younger autistic brother was inside.
Kenneth Fitzsimons, the main muscle of the rival faction, had been leaving clothes into Finglas Garda Station on April 10, 2019, where his son Keith was being quizzed by gardai at the time.
Cunningham knew Fitzsimons was in the vicinity of the cop shop at the time and pounced. He turned up with what Fitzsimons later described to gardai as a “big ass machete”. Fitzsimons told gardai that he recognised Cunningham and heard him say something like: “Kenneth, I’m going to chop you up.”
Fitzsimons described being knocked to the ground where he was struck repeatedly with the machete.
Our picture shows the inside of the public area of Finglas Garda Station covered in blood after Fitzsimons freed himself and ran in there.
He had suffered wounds to his neck, arms, legs and torso and lacerations to his torso exposed ribs on both sides.
A source said: “Cunningham had just cracked and spun out of control when innocent people connected to him were being targeted.
“He blamed the rival side and when he saw one of them, he went for him.
“He was off his head at the time and he could have easily killed Fitzsimons that day.”
Cunningham was identifiable on CCTV footage and the weapon had been found flung into a nearby garden.
But Mr Flashy’s gang hid him for a number of days in different boltholes,
one of which was raided by armed gardai looking for Cunningham.
Another source said: “Cunningham is from Mulhuddart but he was basically living in Finglas because the Corduff gang were going to keep going for him.
“So he was back there after the attack but gardai believe he was being helped to hide by Mr Flashy’s lads.”
Cunningham of Warrenstown Drive, Mulhuddart, handed himself in and was charged with attempting to murder Fitzsimons, 41, at Liam Mellows Road, Finglas, Dublin on April 10, 2019.
But the Director of Public Prosecutions later agreed to drop the attempted murder charge when Cunningham pleaded guilty to assault causing harm and producing a machete.
Yesterday Ms Justice Eileen Creedon sentenced Cunningham to three years behind bars.
But he has been in prison since April 2019 after his bail was revoked by the High Court and has therefore served more than three years.