'I CAN'T REOPEN MURDER SCENE CASINO' Roy's dad tells of gang heartache.

Byline: SARAH BARDON

THE devastated dad of Roy Collins has revealed he will never re-open the casino where his son was shot dead by gangland thugs.

Steve Collins said his family's lives have been destroyed by the ruthless McCarthy/Dundon gang and that they are living in constant fear of being killed.

Brave Steve added: "They have taken our lives away.

"They have ruined our business, they burned my pub down in Brannigan's, now they have taken away another business from us - the casino, we will never open that again. They are slowly destroying us.

We have taken every measure we could in security and they still got to us.

"You are worried at night but my son was killed at 12 o'clock in the day - you just don't know when this is going to happen or when you let your guard down. We let our guard down in the past." Mr Collins said his 26-year-old son has become the latest victim of intimidation.

He added: "He is terrified, it has wrecked his life, it is no life for a young man like that to be looking over your shoulder all the time, he can't socialise, you can't do nothing.

"He can't go out in Limerick." Heartbroken Steve spoke out after his innocent son Roy's April 9 murder which was in revenge for the jailing of thug Wayne Dundon, 30, in 2005.

Dundon was sentenced to seven years for threatening to kill Roy's cousin Ryan Lee.

Ryan fell foul of the gangster when he refused to allow Dundon's then 14-year-old sister into Brannigan's bar in December 2004.

Steve said: "We were running a business - we are running a pub - every time the door opens, it could be a potential assassin.

"It is a terrifying position to be in. We get round-the-clock surveillance, people watching us, armed gardai watching us but it has ruined our lives. Nobody wants a life like that.

"Everyone here is talking about the McCarthy/Dundons and the terror they are bringing to this city - they have ruined this city and everyone is so angry about it.

"There is so many nice people and good people down here and they are sick of it, they want to show support, they want to get people out of here.

"It has affected our business. People are understandably nervous because you don't know what they are going to do when they come in.

"They might be looking for me but people are aware that they could get hit in the cross-fire.

"I don't know what to do. It is too late for me but for people coming forward, they are going to inflict this pain on other people.

I think people have to let them know they can't do it and they can't get away with it." Mr Collins now wants a public march to show the thugs they won't win.

He told RTE radio: "We need to show some sort of civil support. A march against crime - to let these people know that there is enough support out there to beat them."

CAPTION(S):

SHOT DEAD Roy, above, and Dad Steve