Crime World

Football star Paddy McCourt was declared ‘an innocent man’ after a nightmare 22 months involving a conviction for sexual assault concluded when Northern Ireland’s Prosecution Service told an appeals court he had no case to answer. McCourt, a Glasgow Celtic and former League of Ireland star, had been accused of sexually assaulting a woman in a Derry bar two years ago by putting his hand up her skir...

An Kerryman who is accused of becoming a key figure in the infamous Sinaloa Cartel is wanted in Chile for his alleged role in shipping up to 6,000 kilos of cocaine into Europe. So how did Morris O’Shea, a student from Killorglin Community College get from Kerry to Mexico and what are his links to the notorious Joachim El Chapo Guzman? Nicola speaks with Niall Donald about the extraordinary story o...

***Originally published in December 2022*** Crime World 'boss' Nicola Tallant hosts this special, live edition of The Dingle Whiskey Movie Club from a packed Sugar Club in Dublin. Over the past five weeks our expert panels have rated and reviewed some of the most famous mob movies ever to grace the silver screen - from The Godfather to Goodfellas, to Scarface and Casino, it was an offer we couldn'...

Loyalist paramilitary Winston ‘Winkie’ Rea died this week days after his wife Liz passed away denying justice to the families of his victims, innocent Catholic men John Devine and John O’Hara. Rae leaves behind a legacy of violence and death along with a lengthy interview confessing to his crimes which formed part of the infamous Boston Tapes. Nicola speaks with Belfast Telegraph Crime corresponde...

The fate of the crew of the MV Matthew will be played out in court in the coming years as the State makes moves to seize the highly valuable ship. But those who organised the doomed cocaine plot should have considered an earlier plan to use Ireland’s coastline - and one that went spectacularly wrong? Nicola speaks to Eamon Dillon and Niall Donald about the infamous undoing of the crew of the Lucky...

Special security has been put in place for a man who has been falsely identified on social media as the suspect of last week’s stabbing of children outside a Dublin school. The photograph and other details were widely shared after the publication of an article by the online new outlet Gript which has since removed the story which blamed the wrong man. Gript have also issued a statement alleging th...

A melee at the funeral of a gangland victim, two men injured and taken to hospital and another incidence of shocking violence in a city being seen as lawless. Nicola speaks with Niall Donald as they update listeners on the funeral of gun victim Brandon Ledwige which spilled over into a frightening fight involving a wheel brace and knives Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The funeral of Brandon Ledwidge saw masked youths on motorbikes mount pavements in Finglas this week as a village was brought to a standstill. The 23-year-old murder victim who was shot dead at his front door earlier this month was laid to rest in a steel American-style casket with groups of young men wearing t-shirts designed with the dead man's face. Ledwidge is understood to have been killed af...

A convicted killer and drug dealer has been jailed in the same week the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) seized his county Cork home. John ‘Keith’ O’Donovan’s run of bad luck saw CAB granted a High Court order to have his house declared the proceeds of crime – just days before he added to his 51 criminal convictions. Nicola speaks to Eamon Dillon about the mid-level Cork criminal described as one...

Another assault on a city centre street, a video on social media showing a victim being hit by a machete just a few hundred metres from one of Dublin’s busiest police stations, and a Garda Chief and Justice Minister under fire. As pressure grows on Drew Harris and Helen McEntee to answer questions about how they lost control of the capital during riots last week, further violence seems to be addin...

The brave actions of a hero care worker, a Deliveroo driver and a passerby who came to the aid of young children who suffered a horrific knife attack in Dublin have been recognised amid the shocking riots that followed a dark day in the capital. As the dust settles on an uprising that saw public transport set on fire, Gardai cornered and attacked and looting of shops, we consider what happened in...

He is the alleged New IRA chief who has spent more than three years in custody awaiting trial – but is now going to have to wait some more after being denied bail.  Davy Jordan was told this week he must remain in prison until he comes before the courts to answer a charge of being chair of the terror group’s Army Council.  Niall Donald speaks to the Belfast Telegraph’s crime corresp...

Photojournalist Ross McDonnell became a team member of Crime World when he filmed fly-on-the-wall style during the recent Regency trial. A friend and a colleague he was a three-time Emmy award winner by the time he passed away in recent weeks after going missing while swimming off New York. Nicola and Niall remember his gentle nature, his ability to fit in and to find humour while under pressure,...

A shocking stabbing outside a school, and a city on fire. Nicola and Niall discuss the terrible events in Dublin which have left three children and a teacher injured and seen multiple arrests during riots that followed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A convicted drug dealer has been arrested by gardai in Portlaoise Prison in connection with a plot to murder gangland target James ‘Nellie’ Walsh. Other arrests too have been made as officer focus on a plot to kill cooked up behind bars. So how do criminals plan assassinations while they are serving time for other offences, how deep does the feud between Walsh and his rival run and what is it like...

The eyes of the world have been on the terrorist organisation Hezbollah and what they might do as Israel pound Gaza on a mission to destroy Hamas. But who are the Lebanese based group and what sort of war chest might they have should they intensify support for Hamas. Nicola and Niall talk with Financial Times correspondent and author Miles Johnson whose recent book Chasing Shadows explores the rel...

Murdered Brandon Ledwidge who was shot dead in Finglas, Dublin last Saturday night, was due in court today on drug possession and intent to sell charges. Ledwidge (23), who was shot several times as he answered the door of his home on Barry Drive at around 7pm, was facing three separate charges for possession of heroin and cocaine with intent of sale or supply. But does that mean that he was part...

CAB target Jonathan Gill and veteran criminal Martin ‘The Viper’ Foley have been photographed together on a debt collection mission which throws into the spotlight the lack of regulation in Ireland around the industry. The duo, who are well known to Gardai, were snapped together at a location in midlands where they had called to a property and where officers are now investigating allegations of in...

The PSNI has told a court that the daughter of a drug dealer shot dead last year is the “head of an organised crime group”. Mark ‘The Chicken’ Lovell was gunned down in Newry in December – a killing believed to have been ordered by a local drug gang. But now it is alleged that Whitney Hughes (31), who faces a series of drug charges, has become the outfits top dog. Nicola speaks with Belfast Telegr...

A mother was jailed for money laundering offences and told by a court she could not use her children as a shield from the consequences of her criminality. Gangsters moll Heather McNamara pleaded guilty to offences around cash and a Rolex watch but had said that if she went to prison it would have a negative effect on her children. She is one of an increasing number of women finding that their weal...

Jozef Puska heard directly today from Ashling Murphy's loved-ones about the devastating impact his crimes have had on their lives.   Ashling's boyfriend, her sister and her mother all gave victim impact statements as Puska was sentenced to life in prison for murder.   Niall Donald speaks to Crime World's Clodagh Meaney about the harrowing and emotional scenes today in the Central Crimina...

A judgement is expected in the coming months in a case between the Criminal Assets Bureau and David Waldron - once a top associate of Eamon ‘The Don’ Dunne. Already his brother Christopher has settled his case with CAB agreeing to hand over a house and expensive watches But brother David has fought to the bitter end with a full hearing around a property portfolio valued at 2.8 million. At the hear...

Jozef Puska is due to be sentenced on Friday for the murder of Ashling Murphy. In the week since he was found guilty for the brutal killing, many tales about Puska’s past have hit the headlines. Niall Donald talks to Crime World’s Clodagh Meaney about what we’ve learned in the last seven days. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The kidnap of top supermarket executive Don Tidey and the nationwide manhunt that followed ended 23 days later during a chaotic rescue in a Leitrim wood when a recruit Garda and a soldier lost their lives. Now the incredible story from 1983 and its implications on political relations with Ireland and England, details on ransom demands to big business and the legacy it left on the Leitrim town of B...

A new documentary about Ireland’s vanishing triangle which is streaming on Sky focuses on the missing women linked to the sinister Larry Murphy and how he remains a free man. The series which suggests an underground chamber could hold clues to the mysteries and which details how Murphy became the chief suspect in the murder of Deirdre Jacob makes for chilling viewing. Nicola speaks to the journali...