Episode 112: The truth behind North Korea's cyber-crime gang 'The Lazarus Group'

Former businessman Jimmy Mansfield Jnr went to jail this week, convicted of attempting to pervert the course of justice by directing that CCTV footage be destroyed.The conviction centres around the kidnap of one of his late father’s employees, Martin Byrne. And while Mansfield Jnr was acquitted of involvement in the abduction, six men, led by terrorists Dessie O’Hare and Declan ‘Whacker' Duffy, have been convicted - and a judge has said Mansfield knowingly engaged them to help recover his assets lost in the 2008 economic crash.At the heart of the Mansfield trial was the story that Byrne told in the witness box of the day he came face to face with O’Hare – and how it changed his life for good.But who is Dessie O’Hare and what other lives has he crossed in a five decade criminal career? Nicola Tallant talks to Fr. Brian D’Arcy about his dealings with O’Hare during the kidnap of his friend the dentist John O’Grady. He recalls an incredible story that has stayed with him all his life and relives the day he too believed he was set to become a victim of the 'Border Fox'. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

21 Jan 202240min

He was the playboy prince of the Celtic Tiger era and lived it up in a luxury mansion frequented by top models and socialites.But businessman Jim Mansfield Jnr is now doing porridge with common criminals after he was found guilty of perverting the course of justice.Over the course of a year, a sensational trial heard evidence about a who's who of paramilitaries and organised crime groups brought in by Mansfield to help claw back the family wealth after the economic crash, and of the terrifying kidnap of a former employee now turned state witness.While Mansfield has been found not guilty of false imprisonment, his reputation lies in ruins and from his prison cell, his once gilded life must seem a million miles away.Nicola Tallant chats with Sunday World Deputy Editor Niall Donald about the incredible fall of Jim Mansfield Jnr. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

19 Jan 202231min

He’s the hitman for hire who claims to have turned his life around - and nowadays Alan Wilson says he is writing poetry and staying away from his former gang, the Kinahans, while behind bars.Just weeks ago, the sinister criminal begged a judge to be lenient and claimed he would live an honest life when allowed to go free. But at the Special Criminal Court, Justice Tara Burns said Wilson, who has twice pleaded guilty to conspiracy to murder, was involved in a ‘highly sophisticated, meticulously planned attack in front of a large group of civilians which left two victims with lifelong injuries. She gave him 10 years and refused to backdate the sentence.So who is Alan Wilson and has he really gone straight? Nicola Tallant talks to journalist and author Stephen Breen about the two faces of Wilson and how the callous mobster can switch from loving family man to black-hearted killer in the blink of an eye. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

15 Jan 202235min

It was a brutal gangland murder that made headlines across the world. Now, two years on from the murder of 17-year-old Keane Mulready Woods, it seems an uneasy peace has descended on Drogheda.With two men facing trial this year for the teenager's murder, a third man due to be sentenced in relation to the disposal of his body and a number of key players in the feuding gangs behind bars or on the run, a lot has changed for the rival mobs.Nicola Tallant talks with Irish Independent Crime Correspondent Ken Foy, who says that despite the crackdown on organised crime and the success in breaking up two powerful gangs in the commuter town, gardai remain on high alert for a return to violence. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

13 Jan 202223min

He is a well known Criminal Assets Bureau target who was once put on trial for a tiger kidnapping, but Dubliner Jonathan Gill has now launched a new venture as a conflict negotiator and says he can solve disputes in broken marriages, business upheavals and even in neighbourhood rows.With no major convictions, Gill says he is innocent of any involvement in crime but the courts have heard differently - and on one occasion he was described as one of Ireland’s top criminals.Here, Nicola Tallant chats with Sunday World Deputy Editor Niall Donald about Gill and his new business venture. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

11 Jan 202221min

In Northern Ireland’s troubled past there have been hundreds of atrocities and thousands of lives lost - but one 24-hour period stands out as the most brutal of all. Forty five years ago this week, unprecedented slaughter visited a small corner of south Armagh and left its mark forever on both the landscape and the lives of those left behind.First, was the brutal murder of the Catholic Reavey brothers, John Martin and Brian, just 24 and 22-years-old when they were gunned down in their family home.Their 17-year-old brother, Anthony, catastrophically injured in the ambush, would die weeks later. The attack was carried out by the notorious 'Glennanne Gang', made up of rogue police and army officers working in collusion with loyalist terrorists in a sick bid to ethnically cleanse the catholic population. Twenty minutes after the ambush, in a co-ordinated attack, three members of the O’Dowd family were slaughtered in their home in nearby County Down by a UVF hit team.But that wasn’t the end of the killings. Within 24 hours of the murders, a suspected IRA terror mob carried out the shocking Kingsmill massacre of 10 innocent protestant textile workers and one more who miraculously survived.So what is the legacy of such appalling events and after four-and-a-half decades is the British government's plans for a Troubles amnesty a line in the sand or an outrage to those still seeking justice? Nicola Tallant and Sunday World colleague Hugh Jordan visit peace campaigner Eugene Reavey, as he recalls the dreadful events that visited his life and they consider the stark reality that some scars will never heal. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

8 Jan 202241min

Mary Turner Thomson’s world shattered when she discovered her husband Will was a bigamist, con man and convicted sex offender.Unbeknownst to her, this would be the start of a bold new chapter in her life, fighting to protect other women from his heartless gaslighting campaigns — and putting a stop to his endless deception. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

6 Jan 202250min

It’s been an unhappy New Year for former socialite Ghislaine Maxwell as she faces up to 65 years behind barsBut, as the dust settles on her sensational conviction for sex trafficking in a New York Court, the focus has moved to what will happen next.Nicola Tallant talks to Toronto Sun crime journalist and author Brad Hunter about the possibility of Maxwell trying to cut a last minute deal for a reduced sentence, about her life behind bars in a US jail and about the rising heat for Prince Andrew as he fights a looming civil case from alleged victim Virginia Roberts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

5 Jan 202226min