Man convicted of threatening to kill garda

A man has been convicted by a jury at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court of threatening to kill a garda.

Stephen Kennedy (aged 27) told Sergeant Gerard Maher in the carpark at a latenight pub: "There is €100,000 on your head and you won’t see it coming."

Sgt Maher said Kennedy repeated this threat and added: "There are two types of people I hate - rats and people who talk about me."

He said he believed the threat to be genuine and took it to mean Kennedy had organised to have him killed. It was the first time his life he had been threatened.

Sgt Maher told prosecution counsel, Mr Bernard Condon BL, he was "not easily scared" but on this occasion he felt the threat was made with "malice and intent". He made the threat known to a colleague and to the pub manager then and the following day he told his superiors.

Kennedy of Belcamp Grove, Priorswood, who denied the charge, has been remanded in custody by Judge Patricia Ryan for sentence later.

He was found guilty by the jury by a 10 to 2 majority of issuing the threat to kill Sgt Maher in a carpark outside a Northside Shopping Centre latenight pub in the early hours of October 28, 2006.

Sgt Maher told Mr Condon that Kennedy was unhappy about the garda investigation into his friend’s murder. He did not believe Kennedy was under the influence of "anything" at the time.

Sgt Maher said he was visited by a crime prevention officer at his home who gave him and his family advice. He changed his route to work, took his official firearm home with him and asked to be transferred.

Kennedy claimed in evidence that Sgt Maher misheard him because he had his back turned and was walking away at the time.

He told his counsel, Mr Cathal McGreal BL, that what he said to Sgt Maher was: "Your word is gold in Coolock and there’s a €100,000 on my head because of this."

Judge Ryan thanked the jury of nine men and three women for their service in the three-day trial.