The Science of Fear - The Final Play (Episode 9)
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What happens at Thomas 'Bomber' Kavanagh's sentencing hearing in Ipswich Crown Court?
I'm sitting in Ipswich Crown Court watching the final takedown of Thomas Bommer Kavanagh. Kavanagh has been on my radar for decades and on the Garda's radar for even longer. A man who built his reputation on fear is now reduced to a defendant behind glass. At the front of the court, the prosecution's QC, Real Carmie Jones, speaks with calm precision. Perfect diction. Every word is measured. She lays out the Crown's case for Mr Justice Martin Levitt, detailing how this criminal network operated and how it was finally dismantled. I'm seated in the jury box, alongside a small number of agency journalists commissioned to cover the sentencing hearing. There is no jury. There was no trial. All three men have already pleaded guilty.
The charges are stark. Conspiring to import Class A and Class B drugs. Money laundering. Daniel Canning has also admitted possession of a firearm recovered during searches linked to the investigation. Behind the glass in the dock, Bomber wears a suit. His square jawed face is set expressionless. To his right stands Gary Vickery and closest to me is Canning. As the QC outlines the scale of the evidence gathered by the National Crime Agency, one thing becomes clear. This was never a case they could fight. They were caught, methodically, overwhelmingly, bang to rights. You're listening to the science of fear. Thomas Bommer Kavanagh and his brutal reign as Daniel Kinahan's right-hand man. Episode 9, the final play.
So often when these cases come to that final moment, their family are there to support the accused. Was that the case that day?
Yes, actually. Bomber's wife, Joanne, was there and a number of his sons were there. And also Nicola Connor, who was Gary Vickery's partner, was there as well. I presume there was somebody there for Daniel Canning, although I didn't recognise them, but they were all sitting. Again, there was no big, huge crowd at this courtroom. There was just a scattering of journalists, really. And they were all just sitting alongside where... Bomber and Vickery and Canning had come out, which they were directly facing the judge and then their supporters or their family members were beside them.
And when I've been in court for these big drug cases, the accused are nearly always keep a calm demeanour, but it's sometimes the families that can react. And of course, in Bomber's case, there was huge... figures for sentencing. Was there a reaction from Joanne?
No, they were very, I think they were very respectful, actually, of the court. They were all dressed very well. And certainly there was no, they weren't trying to make any noise or trying to make any sort of show of themselves. The three men in the dock are not bit players. The Crown says they held leading roles in this highly organised transnational drug operation. Thomas Kavanagh is 54 years old, born 10th September 1967. His name on the Police National Computer is Paul Christopher Harvey. Thomas Kavanagh is recorded as an alias. He has 16 previous convictions dating back to 1985, including convictions in Ireland for burglary, firearms and ammunition offences and assault causing actual bodily harm, followed by fraud and stun gun possession in the UK.
Gary Vickery is 39, born 3 January 1983. He has no previous convictions. He lives in Solihill and owns property in Spain. And Daniel Canning, Vickery's brother-in-law, is 43. He's born 18 September 1978. He also has no previous convictions and lives in Solihill. The Crown outlines a web of associates across Ireland, Britain and mainland Europe. The court rolls through the logistics of how the defendants used legitimate businesses as a cover, industrial lock-ups, machinery, transport routes, repurposed to move drugs and cash across borders for the cartel. Sitting in court, one date jumped out at me. One of the industrial premises used by Bommer and his gang, Unit 16 RDW Development in the West Midlands, was found to have been leased to Daniel Canning since the 16th of February 2016.
How did investigators document the Hornstay drug network and its key players?
That was just two days after David Byrne was laid to rest.
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What happens at Thomas 'Bomber' Kavanagh's sentencing hearing in Ipswich Crown Court?
0:03–4:59
2
How did investigators document the Hornstay drug network and its key players?
4:59–16:36
3
What role did tracker devices and coded phones play in Kavanagh's operations?
16:36–32:06
4
How did the US sanctions and reward announcements affect the investigation?
32:06–46:36
5
What was Bomber's scheme to secure a reduced sentence by surrendering weapons?
46:36–47:06
Speakers
4 identifiedMore from Crime World
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