A man who gardaí claimed was spotted with a Remington 12-guage pump-action shotgun during an attempted burglary at a family home on the outskirts of Cork City, was yesterday found guilty at a jury trial.

A gang captured while attempting an armed robbery on a businessman’s home may have targeted him two years ago — but abandoned the plan when it was rumbled by gardaí.

The hunters became the hunted as scenes akin to a Hollywood cops and robbers blockbuster unfolded in a quiet, middle-class rural community.