Criminal caught with cocaine just HOURS after arrest for Dublin gang murder

Gangster John Paul Duncan (39), from Tallaght, Dublin, was jailed yesterday at Dublin Circuit Court for two and a half years after pleading guilty to possessing €8,500 of cocaine in six condoms at Store Street Garda Station last January 31.

Duncan, who has 150 previous convictions, was arrested in Dublin’s north inner city less than 12 hours after he was released from custody at Baltinglass Garda Station in Co Wicklow, where he had been questioned about the murder of Paul ‘Frank’ Byrne (20) in 2009.

The victim disappeared after he got into a car with two men outside his house

Paul ‘Frank’ Byrne was last seen on July 15, 2009, at Kilmartin Green in Tallaght.

His skeletal remains were found by a forestry worker in woodland near Blessington, Co Wicklow, on July 29 the following year.

It is understood he was stabbed to death, and at least three people were directly involved in the unsolved murder.

Duncan is one of five people who have been arrested in relation to the murder – all of whom were released without charge.

Duncan spent several years living in the UK, but came to garda attention when he produced a false driving licence at Dublin Port after arriving on a ferry last January 30.

He was arrested, which led to Baltinglass gardaí being notified of his presence in the country, and they took him into custody, where he was questioned about Byrne’s murder.

The victim disappeared after he got into a car with two men outside his house. His mother reported him missing to gardaí.

Gardaí believe he was murdered as part of a criminal dispute in the Tallaght area involving associates of Duncan.

Officers had for a number of years wanted to question Duncan – but he was based in London and there had been no trace of him in Ireland until he was arrested at Dublin Port.

He complained of being unwell – and said he had swallowed cocaine earlier

He ran into the trouble just hours after being released.

Dublin Circuit Court heard gardaí were called to Lott’s Cafe Bar on Liffey Street Lower, after a man was seen wrapping up white powder beneath a table.

He was arrested and taken to Store Street garda station, where he produced six condoms filled with 122 grams of cocaine from his trousers. The cocaine had a total street value of just over €8,500, the court heard.

A few hours later, he complained of being unwell – and said he had swallowed cocaine earlier.

At around 7pm, Garda Clodagh Doyle and two colleagues accompanied him to the Mater Hospital, where he became distressed and threw himself to the floor, retching.

Duncan said he needed to go to the toilet and was taken to a private room containing a commode.

Gardaí waiting outside heard him roaring and moving furniture around.

When they entered, Duncan took his hand, which had been inserted in his behind, and tried to put it in a female garda’s face.

Garda Doyle said Duncan then became extremely aggressive and jumped up from a chair and headbutted her colleague.

The three officers tried to restrain him, and he went to bite one of their legs, then bit Garda Doyle’s hands so hard that his teeth penetrated two pairs of gloves.

Medical staff sedated Duncan – but he continued his aggressive behaviour and tried to flee until he fell asleep.

When he woke up, he started again.

He was sentenced to eight years in prison over a €1.8m cocaine seizure in 2007

Duncan has 139 previous convictions in Ireland and 11 in other jurisdictions, including for drug offences, assault causing harm, theft, and escape from lawful custody.

He was sentenced to eight years in prison over a €1.8m cocaine seizure in 2007.

Duncan escaped from Loughan House open prison in 2016 and fled to the UK, from where he was extradited in June 2017 and then sent to Castlerea Prison.

In court, he said he had long-running drug addiction issues from the age of 15.

Yesterday, Judge Orla Crowe refused to suspend his sentence in order to allow him attend residential drug treatment.

She set a headline sentence of four years for possessing cocaine, but reduced this to two and a half years, in light of Duncan’s early plea, his remorse and his efforts at rehabilitation.

His assaults on gardaí, described by Judge Crowe as “nasty”, were taken into account.