Gangland cases aided by new Bill - Ahern

THE DIRECTOR of Public Prosecutions (DPP) is examining more than 10 gangland crime cases under the Criminal Justice (Amendment) Act, according to Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern.

The Cabinet last week approved the renewal of the controversial legislation, which allows for the greater use of non-jury trials in suspected gangland criminal cases, at Mr Ahern’s request.

“I understand there’s well over 10 cases now with the DPP and he’s made decisions or given directions in quite a number of them,” the Minister said.

Speaking to The Irish Times, Mr Ahern said gardaí were "very delighted" with the legislation, as well as new surveillance measures introduced at the same time last year.

“I believe that those two pieces of legislation have given them a great extra bow in their scabbard in the fight against crime,” he said.

“I believe it’s the only way to get at the people who are orchestrating the pulling of the trigger, not necessarily the people who have pulled the trigger,” he said.

“In a lot of these gangland murders gardaí have been very successful in getting successful prosecutions against the old patseys who have pulled the trigger. We need to go behind that and that’s what this is at.”

Mr Ahern has been criticised by the Opposition for a lack of prosecutions under the Act.

However, Mr Ahern said it was too early to assess its full impact. “From what I understand it’s being used fairly significantly, as is the surveillance legislation,” he said.

“Because it’s complex legislation it took a while for the guards to put together cases and they had to obviously get trained in what was required under the legislation,” he said.

Mr Ahern said he was convinced after the murder of Limerick businessman Roy Collins in April of last year that “these people had completely crossed the line” and that the State had to respond.

He denied the legislation was launched “in a blaze of publicity” afterwards.

The 2009 Bill was signed into law by President Mary McAleese in July of last year, following advice from the Council of State. It is expected to come before the Oireachtas again.

More than 130 lawyers wrote a public letter to The Irish Timeslast year demanding the then Bill be withdrawn, claiming Ireland would be shamed by it in the eyes of the world.