Dad's anger as soccer manager suspected of son's shooting is jailed over heroin haul
Robert Delany has been left in a permanent vegetative state after the shooting
Former Bluebell United manager Andrew Noonan was found guilty of being in possession of €2.7m of heroin
Terry Delany (far left) seeking justice for his son, Robert, who was shot twice in the head by a paid hitman
The father of a postman left in a vegetative state after being shot in the head has said the footballing world has 'questions to answer' after a well-known manager's conviction for a massive drug haul.
Andrew Noonan (45) spent this weekend in prison after being found guilty by a jury of possessing more than €2.7 million of heroin in west Dublin in August 2020.
The huge haul of the lethal drug – a total of 22kg – was intercepted by gardaí after it arrived from Amsterdam into Ireland.
When Noonan was arrested in connection with the drugs seizure he was the manager of Bluebell United and had previously led the club to the quarter finals of the 2017 FAI Cup.
Ex-Bluebell United footballer Keith Quinn, who previously played for Sheffield United, Cork City and Shelbourne, was also arrested and given a seven-year sentence for his role in the drugs plot.
However, Noonan's link to criminality should have come as no surprise to the club's hierarchy who hired him in 2011.
Apartment
The father of innocent postman Robert Delany led a public protest after Andrew Noonan was appointed manager of Bluebell United, highlighting how he was a suspect in his son's shooting.
Terry Delany (far left) seeking justice for his son, Robert, who was shot twice in the head by a paid hitman
Dad-of-two Robert was shot in the head when he looked out the window of his apartment in Tallaght, Dublin in 2008.
The innocent postman, who has no involvement in criminality, was targeted because of a minor exchange of words outside a pub and remains in a permanent vegetative state to this day.
Andrew Noonan – the son of ex-Provo godfather John Noonan – was twice arrested in connection with Robert's shooting but was never charged.
Gardaí believe the shooting was carried out by notorious hitman Daniel Gaynor, who was paid €10k by associates of Noonan.
Speaking to the Sunday World, Robert Delany's father, Terry, said Bluebell were aware of Noonan's past when he got the job.
Former Bluebell United manager Andrew Noonan was found guilty of being in possession of €2.7m of heroin
'It was incredible that Bluebell United took him on as a manager. Noonan was hired by the club with the full knowledge that he had been arrested twice in connection with Robert's shooting.'
He added: 'The footballing community has a lot of questions to answer about Andrew Noonan's involvement in the game.'
Gardaí believe Robert Delany was shot by gun-for-hire Gaynor, who was hired following a confrontation outside a pub.
Former Bluebell United manager Andrew Noonan
Today's News in 90 Seconds - May 4th
Gaynor was subsequently himself shot dead in 2010 by rival criminal Keith Wilson, a brother of Eric 'Lucky' Wilson.
Robert, his partner and their two young daughters had been sleeping in the house when he heard a knock at their door.
He was hit by a shotgun blast as he looked out an upstairs window, with 16 pellets lodging in his brain. He receives constant care and will never recover from his injuries.
Andrew and his father John were arrested by detectives at separate houses in Tallaght and Kildare in September 2010.
Former Bluebell United player Keith Quinn
They were released without charge following questioning.
While Andrew Noonan was never prosecuted in connection with Robert Delany's shooting, he had previously been convicted of firearms offences on two separate occasions.
In June 2011, he was fined €2,000 after he was found guilty of unauthorised possession of an air gun.
In 2000, he was jailed for a year after he was caught with a rifle, five founds of ammunition, a silencer and a telescopic lens in a field in Tallaght.
Following his son's shooting, Terry Delany ran a tireless campaign to bring the men behind his son's attempted murder to justice and his family have offered a €20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of his attackers. He welcomed Noonan's conviction.
'Those drugs were destined for the streets of Tallaght where they could have lead to the deaths of many people.
'It's not going to make any difference to us on one level, it's not going to bring Robert back.
'But it's a welcome development when drug dealers – particularly heroin dealers – are taken off the streets.
Robert Delany has been left in a permanent vegetative state after the shooting
'Robert has been left in a permanent vegetative state – they call it the living death. Robert's condition hasn't changed and nor will it. There's no hope.
'His two daughters have had to grow up without him in their lives, his youngest daughter was just a baby at the time. They've missed him being able to be a father to them.'
He added: 'The Sunday World was the first to name Andrew Noonan in connection with Robert's shooting all those years ago. And the reality is that this weekend he is now behind bars.'
This week, Judge Elma Sheahan remanded Noonan in custody for sentencing on May 16.
During his co-accused Keith Quinn's trial, the court hear how he had received a package containing the heroin at his place of work in an industrial estate in west Dublin.
Soon afterwards he met with another man and then delivered the package to a nearby address, the hearing at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court in April was told.
Alan Quinn (41), the accused's older brother and a former footballer for the Irish national team, told the court that his brother had a good upbringing and none of the family have any convictions.
Package
Mr Quinn said he did not condone what his brother did, but did not think his brother 'is a bad lad'. He said he deserved a second chance.
Detective Garda Liam Aherne gave evidence that in August 2020, police authorities in the UK became suspicious of a package travelling through the UK which had been sent from the Netherlands and had a final destination in Ireland.
Det Gda Aherne said UK police opened the package and determined that it contained heroin before contacting the Gardaí.
An operation was put in place to continue the delivery and a detective dressed in a UPS uniform delivered the package to the accused's work address.
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