Two jailed for arms offences

Two Limerick men were jailed by the Special Criminal Court today for offences connected with the discovery of a Kalashnikov assault rifle, ammunition and Semtex at a house in the city last year.

The court was told by Detective Sergeant Dan Haugh that gardaí raided the house in the Garryowen area because he had information that it was being used by the Real IRA at the time.

Christopher Dineen, aged 54, a panel beater and father of two, of Sarsfield Court, Garryowen, Limerick admitted the unlawful possession of an AKM assault rifle, 283 rounds of ammunition, a smoke grenade and an explosive substance, Semtex, at his home on November 6 last year.

James Bullman, aged 38, a chef and former Irish soldier, of St Ita St, St Mary's Park Limerick was convicted after a five day trial of the unlawful possession of ammunition and a smoke hand grenade at Sarsfield Court, Garryowen, Limerick on November 6 last year.

He was cleared of another charge of the unlawful possession of Semtex on the same date.

Dineen was jailed for five years for the possession of the AKM assault rifle and ammunition, two years for possession of the smoke hand grenade and seven years for possession of Semtex, but the court suspended the final two years of the sentence for that offence.

All the sentences were ordered to run concurrently and to date from November 6, 2002.

Bullman was jailed for five years for the unlawful possession of ammunition, with the final year suspended and for two years for possession of the smoke hand grenade. The sentences were ordered to run concurrently and to date from April 1, 2003.

Detective Sergeant Haugh told the court that detectives who raided Dineen's house found the two men in the sitting room.

They also found two bags with ammunition in the room and in an upstairs bedroom they found a Kalashnikov assault rifle hidden in a wardrobe.

One kilo of Semtex was found in a fireplace and a small quantity was also found in the kitchen sink and in a brown paper bag in the sitting room.

The Semtex found in the kitchen sink and sitting room had been rendered down and in this form it was used to make detonators for home made explosives to give them more power.

Sentencing the men, Mr Justice Finnegan, presiding, said that the items found in the house "represent a real threat to innocent members of the public".