VETERAN criminal James ‘Jaws’ Byrne wanted to emulate Martin ‘The General’ Cahill — but never had the smarts to compete at the top table of organised crime himself, sources have revealed. Byrne — who died after suffering from kidney failure on September 7 — had to rely on his sons to help their group become a serious organised crime outfit. A retired detective told The Irish Sun: “James Byrne thought he was intelligent, but the reality is he was just a thug.
” Byrne, also nicknamed ‘Jemmy’, was laid to rest last Friday in what was a quiet affair and a far cry from the funeral held for his son David over eight years ago after the Hutch gang plugged him with six bullets at the reception of the Regency Hotel in north Dublin. Byrne, a father of six, long held a hatred for the Gardai, but former investigators have explained how the feeling was mutual. He was a close associate of dangerous armed robber Cahill and in 1995, he was jailed for three years for the possession of forged and blank cheques.
Upon his release and with Cahill dead , cops believed he was trying to up his game with the hope of climbing the ladder in organised crime. But one source explained how he was an “obnoxious b*****d” and “incredibly stubborn”. When he agreed to repay over €43,000 in unemployment assistance in 2002, he managed to swing an agreement where he would have to turn up to Harcourt Square — where specialist Gardai units were based — and pay €100 off weekly.
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