Fears Kinahan mob ‘eyeing Border Fox as enforcer’ amid alert over ‘skillset’

FREED gangster Dessie ‘The Border Fox’ O’Hare would make a perfect KInahan cartel hitman, a former prison officer has warned.

David McDonald — who was based in Portlaoise Prison before his retirement in 2020 — made the claim after O’Hare, 69, walked free from the maximum security prison on Thursday afternoon.

The 31-year Irish Prison Service veteran insists it’s unlikely the convicted kidnapper will find any gainful employment at this stage of his life — and that O’Hare could be used by other crime gangs because of 40 years of experience in organised crime.

He told The Irish Sun: “I have no doubt in my mind that Dessie O’Hare could be approached by the Kinahan or Hutch gangs and he would be of benefit to them.

“Those criminal organisations know that they would be getting someone who would never rat and also someone who would not hesitate to pull the trigger.

“O’Hare hasn’t had to cope with the stresses of everyday life and he has kept himself extremely fit during his time in prison.

“But he’s now back in the outside world and the only skillset he has is using extreme forms of violence.

“He won’t have much prospects for legitimate income because of his age and his background so it’s entirely plausible that he could re-enter the only world he has ever known.”

Although it was widely believed O’Hare would return to his native south Armagh, he’s now in Cork city after travelling to the city by train.

O’Hare — who chopped off two of dentist John O’Grady’s fingers during a horrific kidnapping in the 1980s — was released from the prison after serving five years for his role in a gang who held security worker Martin Byrne captive and attacked John Roche during a terrifying incident in Saggart, Dublin, on June 9, 2015.

During the incident, Mr Byrne suffered a severe injury to his ear and was later placed in the Witness Protection Programme.

Mr McDonald — whose book ‘Unlocked’ told the shocking story of life on the inside for Ireland’s prison officers — believes O’Hare is “respected” among Ireland’s criminal gangs.

‘Extremely violent’

He said: “They all know he has the credentials to work in that world and they will be looking at him as someone who can protect their business interests.

“I don’t have a crystal ball but I’ve no doubt that he’s still capable of being extremely violent.

“He’s no longer fighting the security forces in the north and his experience now is in organised crime.”

The retired prison officer also spoke about his experience of O’Hare in Portlaoise.

He revealed: “When O’Hare first came into the prison he was very intense.

‘No empathy’

“He was never violent towards staff but we all knew he was dangerous and would have had no hesitation in killing someone if they got in his way.

“I recall when Veronica Guerin was killed and he said ‘she had it coming’. There was absolutely no empathy that a mother had lost her life. There were many times during his time in prison when he didn’t speak to anyone because he was paranoid about being misquoted about things he said.

“He used to read a lot and spent a lot of time on his own and staff didn’t like being on their own with him.”

And Mr McDonald also spoke about his interactions with O’Hare on his last day, adding: “He was the last inmate I spoke to when I retired from the Irish Prison Service and he offered me a cup of tea but I politely declined. There is no doubt he has mellowed since he first went into prison and it looks as if he has changed a lot.

“He also wrote me a nice letter and there wasn’t the same level of intensity surrounding him.”

Life before prison

Before he ended up in prison due to his involvement with organised crime, O’Hare was regarded as one of the INLA’s main gunmen during the Troubles.

He also joined the Provisional IRA when he was 16 but left after he was disciplined by terror bosses.

Killings suspect

Throughout the 1980s, he was suspected of being involved in over 30 killings and was once the most wanted man in Ireland.

Mr McDonald also outlined his views on O’Hare’s connection to republican paramilitaries over the years.

He added: “He was the main man with the INLA because he didn’t think the Provisional IRA were vicious enough when he was younger.

“But then it got to the stage where he had to go out on his own because he didn’t think the INLA were violent enough.

“When he went into prison for the O’Grady kidnapping he was his own man and was soon placed on the criminal wings of Portlaoise because he wasn’t affiliated to anyone. He previously said his war was over and it’s clear he has no interest in republican activity.”