ISSUE NO. 1625
25 - 31 August 2016
MALLORCA
YOUR PAPER, YOUR VOICE, YOUR OPINION
Murderous mistake By Matthew Elliott Spanish police and intelligence services have been heavily criticised in the aftermath of the cold-blooded execution of Irish tourist Trevor O’Neill on the streets of Mallorca in what is being called a case of mistaken identity. As authorities have struggled to find any so l i d l e a d s i n t h e h u n t fo r h is killer, almost certainly a gangland assassin, it has transpired that Interpol had warned Spanish police that two ‘dangerous Irish criminals’ had arrived on the island, just days before the 41year-old Dubliner was shot dead. Mr O’Neill was shot four times in the back outside his hotel by a masked gunman at approximately 9pm on August 17 in the vibrant Calvia suburb of Costa de la Calma. He had been walking down the street with his partner of 20 years and their three young children. There is little doubt the assassin’s true target was 37-year-old Jonathon Hutch, a taxi-driver who happens to be a nephew of Gerry Hutch, an underworld figure currently embroiled in a
feud with the Costa del Sol-based Kinahan clan. Gardai sources in Ireland believe mistaken murders remain a distinct possibility, as recruited assassins are not typically professional hitmen but may be out to make a name for themselves. The devastated family of Mr O’Neill returned to Dublin on the same flight as Mr Hutch, who was met on arrival by an armed police escort and is now in hiding.
Mr O’Neill’s parents have described the ‘dreadful, agonising limbo’ felt as they wait for Spanish authorities to return his body. A spokesman for Irish opposition party Fianna Fail has called for a more ‘aggressive response’ from the Spanish authorities, who have been left investigating two burnt out cars found near the scene, and analysing flight manifestos and CCTV from Palma airport, a week after the killers are thought to have left the island.
WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM