Father shot at daughter’s boyfriend after family row

A LIMERICK man drew a Glock semi-automatic handgun and shot his daughter’s boyfriend in a row between members of the two families, a court has been told by a prosecution lawyer.

Anthony Kelly, aged 50, of 121 O’Malley Park, Southill, has pleaded not guilty at Limerick Circuit Court to possessing a Glock pistol with intent to endanger life at South ill on October 28, 2009.

Opening the case, John O’Sullivan, for the DPP, said Kelly’s daughter, Jessica Kelly, was in a relationship with Michael Lynch, who Kelly is alleged to have shot and wounded on the night of October 27/28, 2009.

The DPP alleges a 12-year-old boy delivered “items” from the scene of the shooting to a man who was found to have passed the gun on to another man.

Mr Lynch’s mother, Mary Lynch, of 556 Castle Oaks, O’Malley Park, Southill, said she returned from work at around 9.45pm on October 27, 2009. Mr Lynch was at the house with Ms Kelly.

She went to a 24-hour shop and on returning heard loud noises in the house where Ms Kelly and her other son, Gerard, were arguing following an incident.

When asked to leave, Ms Kelly said she would go and tell Kelly what had happened and get him down to get the whole lot of the Lynches sorted out.

Ms Lynch said she then went up to Kelly’s house to ensure he did not get the wrong story from his daughter. Upon meeting Ms Kelly, they argued and hit one another. Kelly, at Ms Lynch’s request, pulled his daughter away.

On returning home, Ms Lynch was asked by her sons what had happened to her face. She realised she had a scratch near her eyebrow, which was bleeding. However, she said, it was nothing serious.

Her sons decided to go to Kelly’s house, saying Ms Kelly would not get away with it.

Ms Lynch followed her sons, and found them arguing with Kelly. She explained to him that her sons had come because of the injury to her face, and that she did not want her sons causing trouble.

Kelly told her: “If you don’t take them away I will shoot them.”

She got angry and said “nobody will be shooting anybody”.

When Ms Kelly appeared, Ms Lynch told her it was all her father.

The next thing she remembered was Kelly pulling a black handgun from behind his back and firing three shots into the air.

He then fired a fourth shot at her son Michael as he tried to run away, hitting him.

She went to assist her son and the emergency services were called.

The trial before a jury of seven men and five women continues.