Murdered man may have owed money to gang figure

Gardaí believe Philip Finnegan, whose body was discovered in woods in Co Kildare over the weekend, may have been killed because he owed money to a leading crime figure.

The remains of Mr Finnegan (24), who had been missing for almost a month, were discovered by walkers in Rahin Wood, near Carbury in Co Kildare, on Friday evening.

It has been reported that Mr Finnegan was living in fear of his life and wore a bulletproof vest after being targeted by crime gangs in Dublin.

His body was partially buried in dense undergrowth and an attempt had been made to set it on fire. His clothes showed evidence of charring.

Gardaí, who have opened a murder investigation following the discovery of Mr Finnegan’s remains, believe he may have been killed by people known to him who were recently released from jail.

Mr Finnegan was reported missing from his home at Mary Aikenhead House, Dublin 8, on Wednesday, August 10th.

Gardaí said on Sunday a postmortem on the body by the Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster at Naas General Hospital was finished but they would not be releasing the details for operational reasons.

The scene remains sealed off for a technical examination.

Mr Finnegan previously escaped death when a gunman opened fire on him and another man in a drive-by shooting on Lower Basin Street in July 2013.

In December that year, he was also involved in an altercation between two groups at a fast-food restaurant in Dublin’s city centre.

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Mr Finegan was approximately 1.6m (5’4”) in height, with dark brown hair and blue eyes.

When last seen he was wearing a light grey Fila top, with a full-length zip to the front, dark grey Adidas tracksuit bottoms with three white stripes down the legs and royal blue Adidas runners.

Gardaí are appealing for anyone who was in Rahin Woods in the last three weeks and saw anything unusual or suspicious to contact them at Leixlip Garda station on 01-6667800 or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800-666111.

Sinn Féin TD Aengus Ó Snodaigh, who represents Mr Finnegan’s south inner city area, called for increased targeting of local drugs gangs.

“There is an urgent need for a Garda taskforce covering the areas of Dublin 8 and 12 especially, including the proper resourcing of local Garda drugs units, sufficient gardaí on the beat, an increased targeting of members of local drugs gangs and the immediate confiscation of the proceeds of the drugs trade.

“This also has to be coupled with a serious investment in drugs rehabilitation services.”