THE FATHER of an innocent teenager beaten to death with an axe in Limerick, has called for Gardaí to search lands on the outskirts of the city centre, following fresh allegations that the murder weapon was hidden there.
Jeffrey Hannan, (19), died after attending a bonfire and a house party in Southill, in the early hours of November 22, 2007.
Fresh allegations that the murder weapon was thrown into an area of overgrowth, plus photographs and maps of the area, were posted on an anonymous social media account on Facebook in recent days.
As the 17th anniversary of the murder approached this Friday, the victim’s father, Alan Hannan, called on Gardaí to investigate the claims, and to perform a search of the area in question.
“I have met Gardaí about what was posted on social media, and they said they were aware of the posts. They said they are investigating it, and I have asked them to search the area mentioned, I don’t know if they will or not,” Mr Hannan said.
Appealing for information to help bring his son’s killer/killers to justice, Mr Hannan added: “There are people that know what happened on the night, who saw it (the murder), please just come forward and tell the Gardaí what you saw, or you can talk to me, or you can talk to Gardaí outside of Limerick.”
“I can’t actually sleep at night, I have to take sleeping tablets because if I don’t, it just plays around and around in my head,” Mr Hannan said.
“The impact on my family has been unbelievable, I have another son and he just can’t cope. We want justice so that we can get on with our lives, that’s all we want.”
Mr Hannan said the chief suspect for the murder is “still walking around Limerick” which exacerbates his and his family’s grief and trauma.
Mr Hannan said the Gardaí have told him they believe they know the identities of the person/persons who killed his son, however a letter sent to him by the Director of Public Prosecutions in 2017 explained that Gardaí required further evidence to be able to bring a criminal prosecution against those involved.
An internal Garda Headquarters disciplinary process was previously initiated against a Garda who was accused of withholding information about the murder from the Garda investiagtion team.
The office of the Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) also investigated the claims against the Garda. In May 2022 GSOC wrote to Mr Hannan informing him that a finding was made against the Garda, that the Garda retired while appealing this finding, and that the Garda was therefore “no longer subject of the Garda Siochana (Discipline) Regulations”.
GSOC told Mr Hannan that it “considers that further investigation is not necessary or reasonably practicable”.
Since the 2007 murder, Gardaí have made over 20 arrests in the case but nobody has been charged.
A review of the original murder probe was conducted but this also did not progress the Garda investigation.
In its correspondence with Mr Hannan, GSOC alleged that, “the fact the information in relation to Jeffrey Hannan was not recorded came to light during a review of the file prior to onward transmission to the DPP”.
GSOC said it noted the information then “formed part of the file as it was recorded some months later”.
GSOC stated the retired Garda “denied” the allegation against them, including all of the alleged the background to the allegation.
Alan Hannan has reiterated a call he previously made for a “state inquiry” into the matter.
The eldest of Jeffrey Hannan’s two daughters, Nikita Hannan who was only one when her father was bludgeoned to death, is now almost as old as her father when he was murdered.
Nikita, (18), said: “Me and my family go through heartbreak every year, we live with this all the time. I grew up double-grieving, watching my grandparents and my father’s siblings grieve too, we have been through so much we deserve to know the truth.”
“We miss my dad, there is no bringing him back, but the least that can happen is for the Gardaí to finally put the killer or killers to jail.”
“My mental health went downhill, I was suicidal, I felt so alone and abandoned, and I just wanted to be with my dad, but I have come out of that, I am going to make my dad proud.”
Gardaí were contacted for comment but had not immediately responded.
