Prison fight spills over as mother is assaulted at home

Barry Duggan

A MOTHER was assaulted at her home after her two sons fought with a convicted gang rapist and a former member of the McCarthy-Dundon gang in prison.

Mary Lynch was punched in the face at her Limerick city home on Sunday by a woman, hours after her sons fought in Limerick prison with two other inmates.

Convicted rapist Thomas O'Neill (23) and Gareth Collins (29) -- the brother of O'Neill's girlfriend, April -- were involved in a prison fight with Fintan (32) and Michael Lynch (30) in the prison on Sunday morning.

Feared

The brawl broke out around 10am on the D2 wing.

Some of the prisoners housed in that section of the prison were once members of the McCarthy-Dundon gang, but have since fallen out with the feared Dundon brothers.

It is understood that the Lynch brothers fought with O'Neill and Collins in the landing area, before the fight was broken up by prison officers. There were no serious injuries.

Gareth Collins is a former gang member who is serving a seven-and-a-half year sentence for his role in an extortion campaign by the McCarthy-Dundon gang against another man in Limerick.

The Collins family had a high-profile fall out with their former allies, the Dundons, after Gareth's sister, April, ended her relationship with Ger Dundon and began seeing O'Neill. April and Ger have three children together, but she is currently expecting her fourth child with Thomas O'Neill.

She started going out with O'Neill last year, several months after he was released from prison for a horrific rape. O'Neill led four other young men during the gang rape of a woman in Cratloe Woods, Co Clare in 2004.

Michael Lynch from O'Malley Park, Southill -- who is the father of EuroMillions winner Dolores McNamara's grandson -- is serving a three-year sentence after he and his brother, Gerard, broke into a home in Sixmilebridge, Co Clare armed with a samurai sword and machete.

In October 2009, Michael was shot near his home in Limerick. When asked to identify his assailant last year in court, Michael Lynch, who has convictions for drugs, theft, burglary and assault, said he could not as he had been shot in the back.

Fintan Lynch is serving a 10-year sentence after he was caught with an Uzi sub-machinegun in a Limerick hotel in February 2010. He had been released from prison only 12 days before he was caught with the firearm and a silencer. He has convictions for robbery, burglary and theft.

Following the fight in the prison, a female associate of O'Neill made her way to the home of Mary Lynch and assaulted her at her home.

hnews@herald.ie

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