The brother of Veronica Guerin has said that an apology from the man who was convicted of her murder in 1996 would make a difference to the family.
On 26 June 1996, Veronica Guerin, a journalist for the Sunday Independent, was shot dead on the Naas Road in Dublin as she was about to give evidence against then major drug kingpin, John Gilligan, who led a multimillion euro drug trafficking operation. He had previously beaten up Guerin after she asked him about the source of his wealth.
She was about to expose John Gilligan and his drugs empire. Gilligan had previously threatened to kill her and rape her son, Cathal, who was just six years old at the time of her murder. The reporter, was shot six times after stopping at traffic lights.
Today marks 30 years since Guerin's death, which shocked a nation, and shook a family to its core. This also marked the first time that organised crime posed a threat to the State, and a safety to the public.
Following her murder, unprecedented new legislation and extra garda resources were set up by The State, culminating in the formation of the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB), as well as the witness protection programme, and the use of the Special Criminal Court for gangland criminals.
Justice Minister, Jim O'Callaghan said that this murder carries the same shocking connotations as it did 30 years ago. But he did say that it led to a major change to the methods of policing in Ireland.
Subsequently, the Gilligan gang were disbanded, with key members including its leader, John Gilligan jailed for substantial lengths of time, as well as Brian Meehan and Patrick Eugene 'Dutchie' Holland', with Meehan convicted of Guerin's murder. Holland, who was suspected of shooting Guerin, died in a British prison cell in 2009 for a separate offence.
Speaking about this, Veronica's brother, Jimmy Guerin, said that the least the Parole Board can do before they release Meehan is to get him to acknowledge that his actions were wrong.
Today, Veronica Guerin will be remembered at a community walk to the place where she died.
A fundraising event will also be held at St Francis Hospice at the Convention Centre in Dublin tonight, which will be attended by Taoiseach Micheál Martin, along with other senior Government and opposition figures.
Garda Commissioner, Justin Kelly will also be in attendance, well as all previous commissioners since 1996, members of CAB, and of the judiciary and legal profession.
Mr Kelly had said that the seizure of assets and international partnerships have changed drastically since the events of 1996. He said that figures in organised crime groups can no longer operate in Ireland, and even if they move abroad, they can be brought back, first from the UK and Europe, as well as many other parts of the world.
