Crime World

Ireland’s most secure prison is a melting pot of some of the most dangerous, notorious and difficult inmates where each landing is ruled by a top dog and where official and underworld rules apply.But troublemakers in the real world don’t change behind bars as killer Fat Freddie Thompson has proved in recent weeks with his volatile behaviour and ability to fall out with family and friends.But who else is a prominent figure at Portlaoise Prison and what is their role on the various wings?Nicola's joined by Niall Donald to talk about the Turkish heroin dealer whose risen through the ranks of influential prisoners, of the television seizures that have pitted Thompson against his fellow lags and about the punishment wing.We will also talk with journalist Chris Summers in London about the passport scam that have landed three senior Cartel figures behind bars. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

THE weigh in is due to take place today for the big fight between homecoming hero Katie Taylor and her boxing rival Chantelle Cameron.The ticket only event is expected to be heavily secured and policed as will the fight night tomorrow as a direct response to the gangland events of February 2016 at the Regency Hotel during the Clash of the Clans weigh in.Nicola speaks to Niall Donald about the spectre of Daniel Kinahan which still looms over boxing, the fallout for the sport and the hopes that national treasure Katie Taylor will claim victory and lay a fresh path of integrity for the future of her sport. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

THEY'RE the doomsday preppers who were arrested while on honeymoon in Hawaii.Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell were wanted by police as their children Tylee and JJ had not been seen by family or friends in months. As concern among loved ones grew, Lori’s lies about where the 16 and 7 year old were spun out of control. After Lori was recently found guilty of murder. John Glatt, author of The Doomsday Mother speaks to Crime World’s Clodagh Meaney about their complicated family tree, the LDS church and what really happened to Tylee and JJ Vallow. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

GANG boss Barry Young ran a mob of 20 drug dealers and sent out enforcers to collect his debts in Sligo often smashing up homes for less than €500 owed.However, in his defence during a sentence hearing in the Special Criminal Court where he has pleaded guilty to directing a criminal gang, he says that he was the one wracked with anxiety as he sat atop a multi million euro drug operation.Nicola speaks to Niall Donald about how Young was caught with 22,000 what’s app messages discovered on his phone which gave a fascinating insight into how he ran his gang. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

THE jailing of Regency getaway men Jason Bonney and Paul Murphy for a total of 17.5 years brings to an end one chapter in the gangland story which has enthralled Ireland for more than seven years.With Gerry ‘The Monk’ Hutch settling down to life as a free man it would seem that it should be finally time to move on from the hotel shooting that marked a turning point in organised crime.But still the ripple effects from that day are being felt with the arrest this week of a Kinahan member for the murder of The Monk’s brother Eddie Hutch and the State now facing massive costs for it’s doomed decision to put the veteran criminal on trial for murder.Nicola talks to Niall Donald about encrypted phone messages, about hit-teams facing possible murder charges and about a freak accident with a scorching radiator. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

THEY are the violent deaths that can leave shattered families struggling for answers afterwards.This month two high profile cases heard how insanity was used as a defence in separate shocking deaths. Julie Flood was found not guilty of her father's murder by reason of insanity while Christina Anderson was convicted of the manslaughter of Gareth Kelly by reason of diminished responsibility.But how does an Irish court assess insanity? And what factors are taken into account when coming to a decision.Niall Donald is joined by Crime World's Clodagh Meaney to discuss. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

ALMOST 100 years ago a team of untouchables brought down Al Capone following a trail of money that led right to the top of his crime empire.But today modern investigators are finding that the same techniques and proven investigation skills are as relevant now as back in the days of prohibition.From top tier criminals to their gangsters molls, countless drug dealers and traffickers are finding themselves in the dock for money laundering and the recent conviction and sentencing of Deirdre Brady, estranged wife of Mr Nobody, Declan Brady has proved that the women are no longer going to be left alone.Nicola chats to journalist Eamon Dillon about the increased appetite for money laundering charges, the top tier criminals being brought down by the one thing they can’t keep their hands off and how money, the very fuel of criminal enterprise, is now being turned on those whose insatiable greed will undoubtedly be their undoing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

SHE'S the former nurse and police officer who changed a city’s descent into violence by a mixture of understanding, compassion and getting up close and personal to criminals and would be offenders at their most vulnerable moments.Inspirational and brimming with positive energy, forensic psychologist, Karyn McCluskey is the head of Community Justice Scotland, a body of the Scottish Government responsible for reducing re-offending.Karyn joins Nicola to talk about her incredible work in her hometown of Glasgow which was once the most violent city in Europe but which is now enjoying a 42 year low in violent crime.She tells of the 1000 ways to help keep a young person out of trouble, of the benefits to their would be victims and of the role we can all play to prevent violent crime. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

GER DUNDON was yesterday sentenced to 15 years for his role in a kidnap and extortion plot in the UK, in a hearing that shed some light on a tangled web of mobsters, killers and violent criminal gangs who were all closely linked to the murder of hitman Robbie Lawlor.Dundon stood alone for sentencing after being sent for trial with a group of men, including the late Cornelius Price, for the 10-day-long kidnap ordeal which saw two businessmen threatened over a debt they were told was owed to the murdered Belfast man Warren Crossan.Both Crossan and Dundon were arrested but released without charge when Lawlor was shot dead on a street in Ardoyne in April 2020, in a murder plot which has been described to a court as a classic double cross.Nicola Tallant chats with journalist Eamon Dillon about the complexities of the relationships between Irish criminal gangs on both sides of the border, on the significance of Dundon's jailing and about the trail that led him from Lawlor’s side to a caravan site in the UK with Cornelius Price. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

HE is the consultant psychiatrist with his finger on the pulse when it comes to alcohol abuse, cocaine use and gambling addictions.With an expertise in the use of medicine to help those trying to quit acute and dangerous habits, Professor Colin O’Gara says absolutely anyone is open to developing problematic addictions which could destroy their lives.Today, the head of addiction services at St John of God talks about how modern life, our traumatic past and our historic relationship with alcohol have all fed into an addicted Ireland.And he warns how with the use of cocaine, now normalised in every town across the country, a looming threat of a crack cocaine epidemic is never far away. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.