THIS is the criminal who had his fingers chopped off with an axe in a horrific attack by Real IRA thugs. Convicted car thief Jason O’Connor, 34, a former member of the notorious Westies mob, was tortured in Fairview Park in Dublin on May 3. Gardai believe O’Connor was attacked by two brothers from north Dublin who are members of the RIRA crime gang. The Irish Sun can reveal the ex-Westies man arrived at the Mater Hospital with two fingers missing on his right hand. He also suffered injuries to the back of his head consistent with a beating and torture. One of the missing fingers was found in Fairview Park that evening and Gardai were alerted. Doctors later sewed the recovered finger back onto O’Connor’s hand but a second was not found. Despite his injuries, O’Connor has refused to co-operate with gardai or identify his attackers. If the victim does not make a complaint then officers cannot proceed with an investigation — even though they know who was responsible. Garda intelligence sources quickly identified O’Connor’s two attackers and also their motive. O’Connor, who is originally from Blanchardstown in west Dublin, has been well known to gardai for several years. It is understood his attack is connected to a RIRA feud that erupted when dissident thug David Dodrill, 31, was jailed for six years for extorting €€250,000 from a chip shop owner. Dodrill, who was an associate of O’Connor, was also convicted of membership of an illegal organisation. O’Connor was previously jailed in 2005 for burglary, criminal damage and handling stolen property after he and another hood robbed a safe containing €30,000 from a supermarket in Co Kildare.
