A judge has jailed two criminals for seven years and six months each for their parts in a murder conspiracy, saying they preyed upon their innocent victim "in an evil way" as part of a "vicious extortion racket". Dunne, wearing a balaclava, was sitting in the passenger seat of a Citroen Berlingo van when he fired the shots. The Garda investigation revealed that Craig Hayes (27), of Cushlawn Park, Tallaght, was the driver of the van. The judge said the evidence showed that a family member of McDonnell owed a €100,000 drug debt. The people at the head of the conspiracy, the judge said, had used Dunne and Hayes while keeping themselves at a safe distance.