Freddie Thompson is an Irish criminal connected to the
Crumlin-Drimnagh feud
The Crumlin-Drimnagh feud is a feud between rival criminal gangs in south inner city Dublin, Ireland. The feud began in 2000 when a drugs seizure led to a split in a gang of young criminals in their late teens and early twenties, most of whom ha ...
who was also convicted of the
murder of David Douglas
David "Daithí" Douglas, an Irish zookeeper turned criminal, was shot dead on 1 July 2016. He had convictions dating from the 1980s as well as more recent ones and had survived a shooting the previous November. His murder is part of the Hutch– ...
.
Early life
He was born in 1980 and grew up in the Maryland area of south-inner city
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
.
[ He first came to the attention of the ]Garda Síochána
(; meaning "the Guardian(s) of the Peace"), more commonly referred to as the Gardaí (; "Guardians") or "the Guards", is the national police service of Ireland. The service is headed by the Garda Commissioner who is appointed by the Irish Gover ...
in his teens for car theft and related offences.[
He was a cousin of ]Liam Byrne
Liam Dominic Byrne (born 2 October 1970) is a British politician serving as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Birmingham Hodge Hill since 2004. A member of the Labour Party, he served in Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s Cabinet from 2008 to 20 ...
whose brother David who was shot in February 2016.[ Because of this, Liam Byrne gradually assumed control of the Dublin branch of the gang.][
]
Ambush
In 2008 he was travelling in a Four-wheel drive
Four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, refers to a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer case ...
car in Spain with Paddy Doyle and Gary Hutch, a nephew of Gerry Hutch
Gerard "Gerry" Hutch is an Irish criminal. He was the prime suspect for two of the biggest armed robberies in Irish history. Known for leading a "disciplined, ascetic lifestyle" since leaving prison in 1985, he was nicknamed "The Monk" by Veron ...
when they were ambush
An ambush is a long-established military tactics, military tactic in which a combatant uses an advantage of concealment or the element of surprise to attack unsuspecting enemy combatants from concealed positions, such as among dense underbru ...
ed and Doyle was shot dead.[ (Gary Hutch was shot at the start of the ]Hutch–Kinahan feud
The Hutch–Kinahan feud is a major ongoing feud between two criminal organisations in the Republic of Ireland that has resulted in the deaths of eighteen people, the majority of which have been perpetrated by the Kinahan family. The Hutch gan ...
.[)
]
Extradition to Spain
Thompson was extradited to Spain in 2011 after Spanish authorities linked him to an organisation based in the Costa del Sol
The Costa del Sol (literally "Coast of the Sun" or "Sun Coast") is a region in the south of Spain in the autonomous community of Andalusia, comprising the coastal towns and communities along the coastline of the Province of Málaga and the easte ...
, namely the Kinahan gang
The Kinahan Organised Crime Group (KOCG), also known as the Kinahan Cartel, is a major Irish transnational organised crime syndicate alleged to be the most powerful in Ireland and one of the largest organised crime groups in the world. It is als ...
.[ He was allowed to return to Ireland in 2013.][ He was wanted in Spain on three charges - unlawful assembly, drugs charges and possession of weapons and arms trafficking.]bodyguard
A bodyguard (or close protection officer/operative) is a type of security guard, government law enforcement officer, or servicemember who protects a person or a group of people — usually witnesses, high-ranking public officials or officers, w ...
and chauffeur
A chauffeur is a person employed to drive a passenger motor vehicle, especially a luxury vehicle such as a large sedan or limousine.
Originally, such drivers were often personal employees of the vehicle owner, but this has changed to speciali ...
.[
Thompson submitted a statement of means claiming he had no income.][ Counsel for the state asked how Thompson could support himself when he did not claim welfare, was not registered for business or tax yet travelled around Europe.][ Thompson claimed he was supported by his mother.][ The judge found the statement of means very unsatisfactory and refused free ]legal aid
Legal aid is the provision of assistance to people who are unable to afford legal representation and access to the court system. Legal aid is regarded as central in providing access to justice by ensuring equality before the law, the right to co ...
.[
]
Extradition from Netherlands
In May 2014 he was arrested by Dutch police
National Police Corps ( nl, Korps Nationale Politie), colloquially in English as Dutch National Police or National Police Force, is divided in ten regional units, a central unit, the police academy, police services center, and national control ...
on foot of an international arrest warrant
An Interpol notice is an international alert circulated by Interpol to communicate information about crimes, criminals, and threats by police in a member state (or an authorised international entity) to their counterparts around the world. The in ...
.[ It was related to a brawl on 7 January 2013, at Morriseys' pub, Cork Street, "sparked by slagging" after a funeral.][
In February 2015 he pleaded guilty to ]violent disorder
Violent disorder is a statutory offence in England and Wales. It is created bsection 2(1)of the Public Order Act 1986. Sections 2(1) to (4) of that Act provide:
:(1) Where 3 or more persons who are present together use or threaten unlawful violen ...
for which he was jailed.[ Judge Martin Nolan said that Thompson had probably caused the brawl and that he had thrown a bottle at someone.][ He also described the brawl as "a quite serious fracas" in which many people were involved.][ Thompson pleaded guilty and his sentence was backdated to 23 May 2014, the date he was first remanded.][
]
Murder of David Douglas
In July 2016, David Douglas was murdered and Thompson was charged with the murder that November.
References
See also
* Graham "the wig" Whelan, who sided with Thompson during the Crumlin-Drimnagh feud.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Freddie
1980 births
Living people
2016 murders in the Republic of Ireland
21st-century Irish criminals
Criminals from Dublin (city)
Date of birth missing (living people)
Irish male criminals
Irish gangsters
Irish people convicted of murder
Murder in the Republic of Ireland
Kinahan Organised Crime Group