Paul Williams, crime reporter and writer
For four decades, the name Paul Williams has been synonymous with the coverage of crime in Ireland. From facing down a double-barreled shotgun on his first reporting assignment while he just a teenager, to becoming the only journalist in the history of the State to require full-time garda protection, Paul has seen it all.
His byline has accompanied some of the biggest crime stories, including the killing of ‘The General’ Martin Cahill, the murder of Veronica Guerin, and the rise of the Kinahan’s. But Paul’s life mixing with the underworld made him a target and put his family in danger. Something he has grappled with for years.
He told The Indo Daily: “The State decided that they were going to put full-time protection on us. So, I was assigned two armed special branch detectives, bodyguards, which I had for over two years. At the same time, they put 24-hour, seven-day-a-week protection on our home, which lasted for another 10, 11, 12 years.”
He said: “I had to explain every day where I was going. What I was doing. Every time I looked in the mirror for over two years in my car, there was always an escort car. We had a special escort car. It was the equivalent of being in a witness protection program.
“I was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and it’s very hard to describe what that is like.”
Today on The Indo Daily, Kevin Doyle is joined by Paul Williams, special correspondent with the Irish Independent, to discuss his new book, Crooks: The Stories Behind the Headlines, and the effect a life reporting on the criminal world has had on the veteran crime journalist.
The Indo Daily: Paul Williams on the bomb threat that left him at all-time low, in 24-hour garda protection
