Lag stamped to death in brutal gangland prison hit — but it was only to ‘humiliate him’

A brutal gangland prison attack which saw a prisoner murdered “was only meant to humiliate him”.

Murdered prisoner Robert O’Connor had his shorts pulled down to his ankles during the assault by four fellow lags who kicked him to death.

The four suspects remain on lockdown in Dublin’s Mountjoy Prison, with no arrests made more than a month since the incident.

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Sources revealed gardai have established the suspected motive for the assault — with it all stemming from a female associate of O’Connor’s being assaulted with an iron bar outside of prison months before.

Officers believe O’Connor, 34, who was serving a sentence for possession of a firearm, ordered an attack on a prisoner who he felt was responsible for the assault on his female associate.

A revenge attack on O’Connor was then planned, which led to the shocking incident on the evening of July 29.

Gardai believe O’Connor was kicked to death — with one of the four men stamping on his head during the ordeal, which is believed to have lasted mere seconds.

Sources say prison staff acted “within five seconds” after witnessing four prisoners, including a notorious member of the Kinahan cartel following O’Connor into a cell on the C2 landing — where he had been lured just moments before.

O’Connor was found by shocked staff lying on the ground in a pool of blood with his eyes open — and his shorts pulled down to his ankles.

“It’s believed they tried to humiliate him,” a source said.

“They didn’t intend for him to die, but rather to give him a hiding and leave him there with his pants down.”

Medical staff battled to save O’Connor but he died days later in hospital.

The Garda press office said the investigation was ongoing.

Over a month on, it is understood that the four suspects have yet to be formally interviewed by investigating gardai — and they remain locked down on a restricted regime within the prison.

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