Dundalk man gets ten years for car bomb possession

A Dundalk man who was caught red handed with the components for a massive car bomb was jailed for 10 years by the Special Criminal Court in Dublin today.

The court heard that members of the Emergency Response Unit found Derek Brady and another man, Kevin Murray, in a shed along with almost 1,300 lbs of home made explosives and the components for "a very large car bomb".

Brady, aged 39, a father of three, of Cedarwood Park, Cox's Demesne, Dundalk pleaded guilty to the possession of 1,240lbs of improvised explosive mixture, detonating fuse, a time and power unit, an electrical detonator, two adapted beer kegs and two improvised booster tubes with intent to endanger life or cause serious injury to property at Cuchulainn Terrace, Dundalk on March 21, 1998.

Jailing Brady for 10 years to date from the time of his arrest on May 11 last year, Mr Justice Paul Butler, presiding, said that the offence was "a most serious one" which must merit a long custodial sentence.

Detective Inspector Jim Sheridan, Dundalk, told the court that when gardaí entered a wooden shed they had under surveillance, they found Brady standing with fifteen bags of home made explosives on the ground at the back of a stolen jeep.

He was holding a length of booster tube - used to boost the power of home made explosives - in his hands.

The Detective Inspector said that gardaí found all the components for "a very large car bomb - one of the largest in recent years" in the shed although they had not been assembled.

The court heard that Brady had failed to turn up for his trial in May, 1999 and was arrested in Dundalk last year.

Kevin Murray who was arrested in the shed with him was jailed for 12 years but died in prison while awaiting an appeal against the sentence.