‘Farmers have sold off machinery to pay drug debts’ – how gangs use violence and sexual coercion to sow fear in rural Ireland

Deaths of Tadgh Farrell (4) and his grand-aunt Mary Holt have highlighted the pervasive threat

A forensic officer at the scene where little Tadgh Farrell and his grand-aunt Mary Holt were killed last week in an arson attack

The deaths of two innocent people in Edenderry, Co Offaly, last weekend have highlighted the deadly threat that organised crime gangs pose to communities in rural towns around the country.

Tadgh Farrell (4) and his grand-aunt Mary Holt (60) died after two hooded figures hurled a petrol bomb through the living room window of the family home in Castleview Park last Saturday night.