Suspected armed‑robbery gang member shot dead near Mallow

Paul ‘Bosco’ O’Connor, 56, was found dead on the banks of the River Blackwater at Ballyellis, on the outskirts of Mallow, Co Cork, after an execution‑style shooting.

Gardaí say O’Connor, a suspected member of a notorious armed‑robbery gang active in the 1990s and 2000s, suffered gunshot wounds to the head from a shotgun. A man in his 30s was arrested on Monday and detained under Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act 2007; he can be held for up to seven days for questioning.

The Irish Defence Forces are assisting Gardaí with searches of the surrounding fields, woodland and the river, while the Garda sub‑aqua unit also examined the water for evidence. The weapon used has not yet been recovered.

O’Connor, from Connelly Road, Ballyphehane, Cork City, had a long criminal record that included armed robbery, assault on an off‑duty garda and a 1993 conviction for robbing Cork Regional Hospital of £8,367. He was linked to robberies in Kinsale, Skibbereen and a bookmakers in Douglas, and served five years for the 1992 hospital robbery.

Recent investigations suggest his life had “fallen apart” and that he was heavily using drugs, though he was not believed to be a major supplier. He travelled by train from Kent Station to Mallow on the evening of 14 October, wearing a dark green hooded jacket, khaki combat trousers and black runners.

Gardaí ask anyone with information to contact Mallow Garda Station on 022 31450 or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800‑666‑111.

Source: Irish Examiner. Photo: shota legashvili / Pexels.