Dundon-McCarthy gunman gets 15 years for fatal shooting of Noel Campion

A man has been sentenced to 15 years imprisonment following his guilty plea to offences connected with the fatal shooting of Noel Campion in Limerick city in April 2007. Darragh Quinlivan, aged 42, entered pleas to possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life and to participation in the activity of the Dundon-McCarthy organised criminal group. He did not plead guilty to murder. The Central Criminal Court heard that Mr Campion, then 35 years old, was shot multiple times whilst travelling as a passenger on a motorcycle in the Thomondgate area during mid-morning hours on a public street. Justice Paul McDermott characterised the attack as callous and brutal, executed in cold blood from close range. Quinlivan, originally from Limerick but with addresses recorded in both Manchester and Bolton during the investigation, carried a record of 24 previous convictions. Following the 2007 shooting, he fled to the United States, where he made incriminating admissions to police officers and others whilst intoxicated. He subsequently sought to characterise these statements as "talk" and sarcasm. He was deported to Ireland in 2008. The case lay dormant for more than a decade before being reviewed as a cold case in 2022, eventually leading to Quinlivan's prosecution. The court considered victim impact statements detailing the enduring devastation inflicted on Mr Campion's family. In mitigation, the court took account of Quinlivan's guilty plea and evidence of rehabilitation since 2012. Justice McDermott imposed a sentence of 16 years with the final 12 months suspended, running concurrently with a four-year term imposed on the organisational participation charge. Quinlivan was remanded in custody pending the commencement of his sentence.