One of Ireland's top gangsters was found dead in his cell at Mountjoy Prison this morning. Notorious killer David Stanners from Moyross in Limerick was unresponsive when warders opened his cell door.
The 51-year-old had served over 20 years of a life sentence for the brutal murder of rival gang boss Kieran Keane as part of violent and vicious Limerick feud.
He was part of a five-man team who kidnapped, tortured and murdered their arch criminal enemy Keane, 36, in January 2003.
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Stanners, whose nickname was "Frog Eye" was seen by Keane's nephew Owen Treacy shooting his uncle in the head. He also stabbed Treacy several times that night and left him for dead.
Kieran Keane was found with his hands tied behind his back and had been tortured before he died. His heartbroken wife told the trial at the Central Criminal Court that his killers were " animals".
Stanners was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment in November 2003 along with four other members of the much-feared McCarthy/Dundon crime gang, Dessie Dundon, Christy Costello, Anthony " Noddy" McCarthy and James McCarthy.
The Irish Prison Service said a full investigation is now under way. A full post-mortem will be carried out to establish the exact cause of death. However, it's believed he died of natural causes.
Stanners was due to be freed from prison over the next couple of years. He was regarded as one of the ringleaders of the McCarthy/ Dundon gang and an extremely dangerous individual.
He claimed he was at home watching tv with his family when Kieran Keane was kidnapped and murdered. Gardai regarded the imprisonment of Stanners and his cohorts as a major victory in the war against the Limerick criminal gangs at the time.
The Irish Prison Service said in a statement; "The IPS can confirm that there was a death of a person in custody in Mountjoy on October 25 and the next of kin have been notified.
"This death in custody will be investigated by the Irish Prison Service, the Inspector of Prisons and An Garda Siochana where circumstances warrant. The cause of death is determined by the Coroner's Office."
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