Cartel order hitman to back off from Bradley for 'business' reasons

The hitman was suspected of making two failed attempts to murder exiled crimelord John Gilligan in the space of three months, and is also currently a participant in the separate west Dublin feud which centres around Jason 'Jay' O'Connor.

The Herald previously revealed that he had been enlisted to kill Bradley after his release from Portlaoise Prison last month - but now that plan has been scrapped.

"Gardai have received information that the message was given from on high in Spain for the hitman to back off," a source told us.

Attention

"The view seems to have been that a high-profile murder of someone like Wayne Bradley would have been very bad for business, because of all the attention that it would have brought from gardai for months if it went ahead.

"A murder like that would have definitely disrupted the drugs trade and it was decided that it was simply not worth it.

"It would not be true to say that everything is now sweetness and light between the two factions, but there is no doubt that Wayne is not under anything like the threat he was facing a month ago," the source added.

While a 'peace deal' has not taken place, sources say that Wayne's jailed brother, Alan 'Fatpuss' Bradley, has played a big part in the matter being resolved.

"Lots of people in the criminal fraternity consider Wayne something of a joke, but his brother 'Fatpuss' is a lot better thought of," the source pointed out.

"Fatpuss was extremely concerned about the reports he was getting in jail about what was happening, and it seems he had a word with some senior members as well - which may have influenced the situation to calm down."

Sources stress that, while the situation now seems to be resolved, the unpredictable nature of the Finglas-based hitman means that this may not be permanent.

Wayne was released from the high-security Portlaoise Prison at the start of last month, having served a five-year jail sentence for his role as a look-out during a raid at a Tesco store in Cellbridge, Co Kildare, in 2007 - under the direction of slain gang boss Eamon 'The Don' Dunne - while his brother Alan is still serving a six-and-a-half year sentence for his role.

'Fatpuss' will not be released for another 11 months after he also pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to conspiring to steal cash from Chubb Ireland on November 2, 2007, at Tesco in Kildare.

Wayne had served his last 10 months in Portlaoise Prison after he was transferred there when he got a severe hiding in the exercise yard of Mountjoy Prison - which left him in hospital for a fortnight.

The hitman who was after Wayne was previously closely associated with Kevin Ledwidge, a 27-year-old Finglas criminal who was shot dead in July 2007, as well as convicted Finglas murderer David Cully (24), who was jailed for life last July for the gun murder of his uncle.

He is also linked to a Cabra criminal who was recently jailed in relation to a savage assault, after which the victim died.

Powerful

The hitman has forged a feared reputation over the past 18 months and is now considered one of the most powerful gangsters in north Dublin.

He is a convicted armed robber who is said to have a "pathological hatred" for veteran criminal John Gilligan, who fled Ireland after the latest attempt on his life at his brother's Clondalkin home in March 2014.

The hitman is also suspected of entering the Halfway House on the Navan Road in north Dublin armed with a 9mm handgun looking for Gilligan in early December 2013.

More recently, he has become involved in the Westies gang feud in north Dublin, and has linked up with a criminal who has been at war with Jason 'Jay' O'Connor.

He has also forged links with the Kinahan cartel and has been seen in their company.