Gang pair face murder charge over shooting of Roy Collins.
TWO members of the McCarthy-Dundon gang – one of whom is regarded as a major criminal figure – are to be charged with the murder of businessman Roy Collins tomorrow.
It is understood the two men, who are from Limerick, will be charged before the Special Criminal Court following the 2009 gun attack.
They are both currently imprisoned for separate offences.
Gardai yesterday made an application to the Special Criminal Court for the men to appear before the same court tomorrow.
Their court appearance comes almost four years after Mr Collins (34) was shot dead by a gunman, James Dillon, working for the McCarthy-Dundon gang.
Dillon is serving a life sentence for the murder but garda enquiries have since continued.
The latest development in the investigation emerged following a major split in the McCarthy-Dundon gang.
Former associates, once regarded as crucial allies, have turned on senior gang members and are willing to testify against them.
Mr Collins, a father of two children, was shot in the Coin Castle amusement complex at the Roxboro shopping centre on April 9, 2009.
The murder occurred four years after members of the Collins family testified against feared criminal, Wayne Dundon.
In the immediate aftermath, gardai arrested two men hiding in a house in the Ballinacurra-Weston area.
One of those was Dillon (22), who during his 26th interview admitted he shot the innocent father.
A senior gang member, whom gardai suspect ordered Dillon to the murder scene, is one of the two men who will be charged in connection with the murder.
Feared
He is in his 30s and is a feared Limerick criminal who is serving a prison sentence for other crimes.
The second man – arrested alongside Dillon on the day of the murder – will also appear in court.
Investigating officers believe this criminal was Dillon's accomplice and drove the getaway car.
He is in his 20s, has almost 100 criminal convictions, and is currently in prison serving a separate sentence.
The gun used to murder Collins was found on July 28 last near Young Munster Rugby Club on the outskirts of Limerick city during a community clean-up.
Last year, the Collins family moved abroad, feeling that they were left with no option as they lived under constant threat of attack.