John Gilligan (born 29 March 1952, Ballyfermot, County Dublin, Ireland) is an Irish criminal.
John Gilligan was born to a poor family from the Ballyfermot area of Dublin city. His father, John, was a violent alcoholic who subjected his wife, Sarah, to horrific beatings. This had a profound effect on the young Gilligan. A career criminal who was first convicted at age 15, it was after a 1993 prison stint that he began an organisation that illegally imported cigarettes and later drugs. In 2001 he was sentenced to 30 years for possession of 20,000 kilograms of cannabis resin.[1] This sentence was later reduced to 20 years on appeal.[2] He was later convicted of threatening to kill two prison officers and their families while in Portlaoise Prison and sentenced to 5 years in prison after his original term is completed. Prior to his arrest he was a keen sports enthusiast who had invested heavily in the Irish equestrian industry.
In 2002, Gilligan was tried and acquitted of the murder of journalist Veronica Guerin who was, as well as the police, investigating him and the drug trade in Ireland. After her murder, the Gardaí would at one point have over 100 officers on the case, which led to 214 arrests, 39 convictions, 100 confiscated guns as well as £5m worth of drugs and £6.5m worth of confiscated property.[1]
In 2002, the Special Criminal Court filed an order to confiscate and sell his 77-acre (310,000 m2) equestrian ranch. From prison, Gilligan contested this order in the High Court and won his case, on the grounds that the Special Criminal Court did not have jurisdiction. This was later appealed in the Supreme Court and on 21 December 2005, the appeal was rejected unanimously.[3] Gilligan's assets remain frozen, however, by the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB). On 30 January 2006, the High Court cleared the way for the Criminal Assets Bureau to proceed with an application to have the equestrian centre and other property belonging to Gilligan and other members of his family handed over to the State. In January 2008, Gilligan made a court appearance in an attempt to stop the State from selling off his assets. He accused John Traynor of having ordered Guerin's murder without his permission. Despite the presiding judge's attempt to silence Gilligan, he continued to blame a botched Gardaí investigation and planted evidence as the reason for his current imprisonment. On the 19 December 2008, Gilligan lost an appeal for a second hearing by the High Court. The decision means the CAB can now apply to the High Court under the proceeds of crime act to dispose of the properties which also includes houses in Lucan and Blanchardstown.