Bullet narrowly missed partner and baby, court told

On looking out his front bedroom window, the father of a young Limerick family saw a gunman open fire at him from the garden, resulting in a bullet hitting a wardrobe near to where his partner and their eight-month-old baby were in the room, a court heard.

Anthony O’Donovan, aged 27, of Aherlow Close, Old Cratloe Rd, Limerick, pleaded not guilty at Limerick Circuit Court of possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life.

Mark Troy, aged 40, told a jury that on September 28, 2013, he was asleep at the family home at Clonnard, Westbury. His partner and four children were in the house. He was awoken at around 4am by a loud bang and thought it was a child’s intercom or laptop.

On hearing another bang he went to the bedroom window and saw a person in the front garden. This person turned around and he resembled the accused, Anthony O’Donovan, who he knew, and he was wearing a hoodie.

The man then pulled out a handgun. Holding it in his two hands, the gunman pointed it up towards him and left off a shot. Mr Troy said he ducked and a bullet hit a wardrobe in the bedroom where his partner and baby were also sleeping.

Mr Troy said he shouted to the gunman: “What are you doing, you fucking wanker.” The gunman said he had a message for “John” or something like that.

Mr Troy said a year before he had a problem with a person from Moyross who he stood up to after getting hassle.

On the night of the attack, he believed the gunman was Anthony O’Donovan. However, he could not say now it was him as he was only second guessing having been told by a ‘neutral’ third party he made a mistake about O’Donovan’s identity. Mr Troy said he did not want to make a mistake when second guessing.