Corkman on trial on assault-rifle ammunition charge

A man was put on trial today on a charge of having 220 live rounds of assault rifle ammunition at his home in Passage West in Co Cork.

The jury at Cork Circuit Criminal Court was told the ammunition was found in a lunchbox contained in a drawer in an office attic during the search of Don Blayney’s home in Cnoc Abhainn, Old Church Road on February 18, 2005. Blayney pleaded not guilty to that charge.

When Sergeant Peter Quinn cautioned Blayney in relation to that ammunition, the defendant replied: "I have absolutely no idea what that is. I do not honestly know where they came from. I swear I don’t know. I have never seen them before."

Sgt Quinn said Blayney later asked him what they were and the sergeant replied: "Bullets."

Marjorie Farrelly senior counsel for the prosecution said in her opening of the case that the ammunition was suitable for use in an assault rifle such as a Kalashnikov and she said they were manufactured in Yugoslavia in 1982.

A neighbour of Blayney, John Corkery, said that his children found two partially burnt Northern Irish Sterling notes in their garden and he telephoned the gardaí. When they called and interviewed him they asked if there had been any fires in the area recently and one of Mr Corkery’s daughters interjected with the question: “Why don’t you tell them about Don’s chimney?”

Mr Corkery explained to the gardaí that Don Blayney’s chimney had gone on fire the previous night but that this was nothing unusual. He said he was "blue in the face" from going into his neighbour’s cottage to tell him that his chimney was on fire.

Mr Corkery said he had known the defendant for years and described him as a top-class neighbour and that over the years his family felt welcome to walk into the defendant’s house without knocking at the door.

The trial continues tomorrow.