photo hosting sitesThe leader of a notorious gang targeted by gardai in a massive crackdown recently has been linked to the rape of a 12-year-old girl.
The gang boss, who we are prevented from naming because he is awaiting trial for an unrelated matter, is behind a wave of intimidation and violence.
He is the figurehead of a network of violent scumbags who have caused misery for many families.
The gang’s powerbase is in the sprawling Ballybeg estate in Waterford city, but its tentacles spread to other areas.
This week it was dealt a major blow as more than 100 gardai kicked in doors of dozens of homes linked to the gang’s operations in a daring dawn raid.
As part of an investigation into the gang, the Sunday World has discovered how:
The gang boss was accused of raping a 12-year-old girl who became pregnant with his child;
The mobsters live in luxury with marble staircases and chandeliers in their homes, but steal their electricity;
Gang members offered a witness €40,000 or a bullet in the head to withdraw evidence in a trial and;
The thugs target poor families with a money-lending racket, take control of their welfare benefits, and have left some parents so broke that their children were taken into care.
The Sunday World has previously revealed how the south east mob burnt and forced families out of their homes as they attempted to take over neighbourhoods. More than 20 families were forced from their homes.
We can also reveal that one of the gang members was arrested last Friday night for a horrific arson attack on a young woman. The man, who is related to the gang boss, had been in a relationship with the woman but they had a falling out. In a shocking act of savagery, he set fire to a bowl of nail polish remover while her hand was in it.
The highly flammable substance ignited and caused devastating burn injuries to the young woman. She was hospitalised and had to get skin grafts over the incident and has left Waterford.
Her attacker had previously tried to convince her to let him use her name to buy a house so he could hide the gang’s assets from CAB.
The gang targets what they see as vulnerable people, including single mothers, elderly people and children. The mob are involved in a range of criminal activity, from drug dealing and extortion to money-lending and burglaries.
Earlier this year, they petrol-bombed a car belonging to local Sinn Fein Councillor John Hearne, who has bravely taken them on and helped victims stand up to the thugs.
Cllr Hearne has stood up to the gang and has helped victims, who were previously too scared to come forward to make official complaints to gardai. His work in encouraging victims helped spark the raids.
He says: “It’s the best policing operation in the history of the city of Waterford. When they dropped the hammer, they dropped a big hammer. Everyone I met in town was delighted.”
It has emerged that the gang boss was behind the rape of a 12-year-old girl a number of years ago. The girl became pregnant as a result of the rape, but no official investigation was launched by gardai.
Associates of the gang boss have also been trying to prevent a court case going ahead in recent months.
One witness in the case was given a choice of “€40,000 or a bullet in a head” to withdraw their evidence. The witness bravely refused and gardai arrested an associate of the gang boss.
The garda raids particularly focused on an illegal money-lending operation which saw them loan money to people in dire straits before demanding huge amounts back in interest.
Those who didn’t pay were threatened, and in some, cases physically attacked.
The gang was so controlling that it forced victims to hand over their social welfare cards. The thugs went with victims to the dole office and also took children’s allowance books.
Cllr Hearne said: “They’ll offer families money to take the children’s allowance book off them for two years. But they never give it back and they’ll only give them small bits of money.
“Children have been put into care because their parents can’t afford to feed them. That’s how bad it is.”
Gardai seized a large amount of stolen goods in raids on around 40 homes in the city. In some, gardai found safes hidden under floorboards, and packed with jewellery and cash. Northern-registered cars were also seized.
Some of the homes were extremely lavish, with marble staircases and floors and chandeliers. However, gardai found that the electricity boxes in many of the homes they raided this week had been tampered with to siphon free electricity.
The gang has been trying to disguise their wealth and the Criminal Assets Bureau is also involved in the operation.
Incredibly, dim-witted members of the gang bought two new cars on Friday, days after a number of their cars were seized. Armed gardai stopped the men in the city and seized those cars as well.
Cllr Hearne added: “The guards are in this fight now. This gang know they’re hated now. The guards will get them.”
