110 gardaí needed at scene of 13-hour siege, court hears

Gardaí had to dive for cover when an armed man fired at them in the course of a 13-hour siege at a Sligo house, a court heard yesterday.

Judge Keenan Johnson, who pointed out that 110 gardaí were involved in the incident, sentenced the accused, Michael O’Connor, of Nolmar, Strandhill Road, Sligo, to seven and a half years in prison, suspending 18 months of the sentence.

The judge said O’Connor had reloaded a shotgun on 23 separate occasions and fired indiscriminately at gardaí.