Former Dáil candidate's son pleads guilty of firearm possession

A son of a former Sinn Féin Dáil candidate has pleaded guilty to charges in connection with an incident in which shots were fired at a Garda patrol car.

Shane Shapland (aged 22) with an address at 141 Pineview Gardens, Moyross, Limerick, was appearing today before Judge Carroll Moran at Limerick Circuit Court.

He pleaded guilty to possession of a double-barrelled sawn-off shotgun at Ballygrennan Close, Moyross, on May 18, 2004.

Mr Shapland faces a further charge of discharging a firearm at a Garda patrol car in Moyross on the same date, creating a substantial risk of death or injury.

The Garda patrol car was occupied by three uniformed members of the force, but no-one was injured in the incident.

The accused is a son of Jenny Shapland, who ran unsuccessfully for Sinn Féin in the Limerick East by-election in 1998, following the death of the late Labour TD Jim Kemmy.

Judge Moran adjourned sentencing to June 15 next at Limerick Circuit Court.