Cannabis dealer was blasted in face on way to creche

Anthony 'Anto' Foster

By Gareth Naughton and Ken Foy

A DRUG DEALER was shot in the face while clutching a bottle of baby's milk as he left his apartment to collect his children from creche, an inquest has heard.

Anthony 'Anto' Foster (34) died instantly when the killer fired a single shot into his face on the top floor landing at Cromcastle Court in Kilmore, Dublin 17, on July 18, 2008.

Dublin Coroner's Court heard the investigation into the father of four's murder has reached an impasse, with no suspect identified.

However, the Herald can reveal that two criminals who are suspected of being involved in the case have both since been murdered themselves. They are David 'Babyface' Lindsay, from Baldoyle, and north inner city hood Christy Gilroy.

Sources have revealed that gardai believe convicted cannabis dealer Foster was shot dead on the orders of major league drugs trafficker Lindsay.

It is understood that Gilroy helped source the motorbike that was used as a getaway vehicle by Foster's killer.

It is suspected that Gilroy was murdered in Spain in 2009 after he was involved in a separate double murder in north inner city Dublin, while Lindsay is believed to have been tortured and murdered in a house in Co Down only days after Foster was shot dead.

splattered

Dublin Coroner's Court heard yesterday that Foster was leaving the apartment at 1.45pm to meet his partner, Joanne Ryan, to collect their two sons from creche. There were no witnesses to the shooting.

Neighbour Ann Rock, who was not present but whose statement was read into the record, told gardai she heard a bang, and when she looked out of her window she saw a person wearing a hooded top leaving from the ground floor entrance of the apartment block.

Gda Alan Roche, who was the first on the scene, saw Foster lying on the top landing with his head against the wall.

"He had very bad injuries to the front of his face. There was an amount of blood splattered on the wall behind his head.

"He had a child's bottle in his right hand and a set of keys and mobile phone beside him," he said.

When paramedics attended the scene there were no signs of life. There was no CCTV footage from the complex and no witnesses came forward, apart from Ms Rock.

The gunman had been lying in wait for Foster.

The jury returned a verdict of unlawful killing by a person unknown.

kfoy@herald.ie