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AT 9.35AM TODAY, a metallic grey Ford Mondeo sped out of the gates of Portlaoise Prison.
Heading for Dublin, the vehicle was carrying one of Ireland’s most infamous crime bosses. Sixty-one-year-old John Gilligan sat in the backseat of the car, speaking on his mobile phone with his trademark grin on his face.
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He was enjoying his first moments of freedom following a 17-year jail term.
Gilligan was originally given a 28-year sentence for drug offences but this was reduced to 20 years on appeal. The time served was shortened further because of remission and he eventually served a total of 12 years.
While behind bars, the notorious criminal was found on two separate occasions to be in possession of a mobile phone, and received extra six- and eight- month sentences for those offences. The Ballyfermot native has also served extra time in prison for assaulting a prison officer.
In the video, members of the media on motorbikes can be seen driving after the car.
Although the convicted man led the gang responsible for killing journalist Veronica Guerin in 1996, he was acquitted of the murder.
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I saw the guy Dave.
The body was well preserved considering the length of time that he had been dead.
At first it was thought that it was murder when a local fisherman brought him ashore.
Poor guy.
Apparently he was a very experienced sailor.
His last comunication was a year ago and the condition of the interior of the yacht would seem to indicate a much longer timeframe than one week. I’m no expert but I wouldn’t have thought one week would be enough to mumify a body like this.
According to the Independent article linked above..
“has been discovered on his yacht drifting off the coast of the Phillipines seven years after the last reported sighting and a year after the last message received from him”
Don’t know where the 7 days idea came from…He’s been dead a while!
pretty sure the coroner just said he died of a heart attack, not how long ago it happened.
“The German national is estimated to have been dead for more or less seven days,” he added, citing a police statement by police in the southern Philippines.”
he was German , Germans on yachts are usually Naked , and it doesnt matter that he was German, most single handed sailors sail naked when the weather is good …
He is covered with salt from sea spray from waves washing over the boat.
That can happen in days in the blistering tropical heat.
Salt water evaporates in minutes in the tropics, leaving a salt crust on everything.
He is encrusted in salt.
Mind you.
We humans preserve fish by salting them.
The sea strikes back at humans.
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