A prolific burglar and the brother of 'Fat' Andy Connors has died suddenly after choking on a burger.

'Fat' Jimmy Connors (61) passed away in hospital last Saturday after a short fight for his life.

The father-of-15, who had more than 300 convictions, was rushed to hospital on Thursday last week after taking ill.

Sources said the notorious burglar had been eating a burger when he began choking.

'Fat' Jimmy was rushed to Tallaght University Hospital but despite the best efforts of medical staff he passed away last Saturday morning.

Gardaí are treating the sudden death as a tragic accident and are expected to prepare a file for the local coroner.

Jimmy Connors was considered a prolific member of a nationwide burglary gang involved in break-ins across Ireland.

His younger brother Andy, who was the leader of the crime group, was shot dead in Saggart in 2014.

A post-mortem examination was completed before Jimmy Connors's remains were returned to his family.

His funeral service was held in Tallaght this week and he was later buried in Naas, Co Kildare.

Gardaí across Dublin were made aware of his death earlier in the week, as he was a well-known criminal.

At the time of his death he was known to have addresses in both Tallaght and Newbridge.

He had only recently been released after serving a prison sentence for burglary.

Jimmy Connors had racked up 326 previous convictions when he appeared before Dublin District Court in January last year following a high-speed chase.

He was drunk and having "a meltdown" when he led gardaí on a chase after they spotted an open bottle of beer beside him in his car.

Jailing him for four months, Judge David McHugh said that Connors's litany of previous offences was "some kind of record". He was also banned from driving for 25 years and fined €1,200 after pleading guilty to drunk, dangerous and uninsured driving.

Of his more than 300 previous convictions, a large number were road traffic offences but he also had been convicted of assault, burglary and making threats to kill.

His younger brother, crime boss Andy Connors, was shot dead outside his Saggart home in August 2014.

He was later buried in a €28,000 coffin and wearing a €40,000 Rolex watch. At the time of his death he was the leader of an extended Traveller gang with around 200 close associates.

Jimmy Connors had been targeted by the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) as part of its investigation into his brother's crime gang. In 2013, CAB seized almost €1m from the gang.

The 'Pale Miley' Connors gang was the top target under Operation Fiacla, an anti-burglary initiative.

The gang remains a prime target under the more recent burglary crackdown, Operation Thor.

Irish Independent