Revealed: The life and crimes of jailed gangland thug Jay O'Connor
O'Connor, who was jailed this week to 11 years behind bars for the attempted murder of Charlie Cooper, was also suspected of involvement in the Kinahan Hutch feud murder of Kane McCormack.
Jailed gangland thug Jay O’Connor was one of Dublin’s most ruthless criminals and had been on the garda radar for multiple crimes over decades.
The notorious gangland criminal (46), who was sentenced today to 11 years in prison over the attempted murder of Charlie Cooper, has been involved in multiple feuds and serious violent incidents over the years - including threatening gardai, stabbing a man, and had been suspected of involvement in murders.
O’Connor was previously arrested in connection with the Hutch Kinahan feud murder of Kane McCormack - a son of slain Noel ‘Duck Egg’ Kirwan back in 2017.
READ MORE:'Haunted' Kinahan cartel associate gets 11 years for murder conspiracy
McCormack was shot dead and dumped in a field in Co Meath in December of that year - 12 months after his father was killed as part of the same feud. It can now be revealed that gardai long suspected that O’Connor, who had found favour with the Kinahan cartel, set McCormack up on the night he was killed.
Known for his ruthless reputation, O’Connor, who was known as 'Pigeon' made connections with and worked for Daniel Kinahan’s mob at the height of the feud. A year after that O’Connor found himself sentenced to three years in prison after he launched a brutal knife attack on an innocent man in a pub in Clonee, west Dublin - and threatened gardai.
His victim in the brutal attack was left with permanent scarring and over 20 stitches afterwards.
When gardai from Blanchardstown went to arrest O’Connor at his home the thug told them they would meet the same fate as murdered Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe. Footage of that moment was broadcast on the programme ‘Inside the K’ - with O’Connor heard telling officers: “Come in me cul de sac the next time, see what happened your mate up in Drogheda ya pr*ck ya at the credit union, that’s what you’re going to f***ing get.
Over the years O’Connor, who was once part of the ‘Westies’ crew, found himself at the centre of multiple bitter feuds - the main one being the one that finally found him jailed to 11 years this week. In the midst of those feuds he found himself becoming a target - and escaped multiple bids on his life.
He was involved in a feud with Dublin gangster Daniel Goulding, who it is believed he tried to kill. Goulding was jailed in 2022 after pleading guilty to the attempted murder of two gardai who were shot during a siege in west Dublin in May 2021. Two detectives received non-fatal limb injuries to the feet and one to the hand during the incident which lasted for up to two hours.
The incident happened right after O’Connor had been released from prison - and a paranoid Goulding believed the mobster was coming after him at the time.
He had also once fallen foul of slain Real IRA boss Alan Ryan - who infamously took him to a park, held him down, and cut off two of his fingers. The ruthless criminal was also a suspect in the murder of Lithuanian crime boss Gintaras Zelvys in 2013 - but he was never charged.
Following an attempt on his life that saw Keith Walker shot dead in the car park of Blanchardstown Pigeon Racing Club in 2015, O’Connor infamously told a reporter: "I'll tell you a story, there's going to be a f**king war in Blanchardstown - they are f**king dead, stone f**king dead.”
Shooter Christopher McDonald is reported to have shouted Jay O’Connor’s name before he opened fire on Mr Walker on June 12 of that year - believing the man he shot was the mobster.
O’Connor vowed revenge for the attack and even lunged at McDonald and threatened him during his trial. This week O’Connor was sentenced to 11 years in prison after pleading guilty to the attempted murder of Charlie Cooper - who he targeted in revenge for the death of Mr Walker.
Testament to his career in crime, the court heard that O’Connor has a staggering 70 previous convictions. He is now set to return to prison, where with standard remission, he could be set free once again in just over seven years time.
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