A CRIMINAL who was arrested with a gun this week and was later found dead was afraid that a gangland 'Mr Big' was going to "sort him out".Jonathan 'Birdbrain' Martin was nabbed by alert traffic cops close to RTE in Dublin last Monday morning after he was driving erratically.
Gardai pulled the car in and became suspicious about his demeanour and searched the vehicle. They found a loaded, sawn-off shotgun hidden under the front passenger seat and arrested Birdbrain and an associate.
The 24-year-old became distressed in custody,saying that a well-known criminal from Co. Wicklow was going to be furious about the arrest. Martin and his pal had carried out a shooting in Wicklow an hour before they were arrested over what is believed to have been an unpaid debt.
Drugs
Mr Big ordered the shooting and is said to have been furious that his two goons allowed themselves to be arrested with the gun that had been used in the drive-by attack.
Martin was released from custody after a day of questioning and was so worried about what was going to happen to him at the hands of Mr Big that he overdosed on prescription drugs and died on Thursday.
Gardai initially thought that he might have been forcibly fed the drugs to stop him from talking to gardai but now believe that he was so nervous that he took a cocktail of pills by himself.
Gangland enforcer Martin was charged with threatening to burn down Arklow garda station in November 2011 after being arrested following a pub brawl.
