Cleaner caught with shotgun planned to marry soon

A 29-year-old industrial window cleaner has been jailed for the mandatory five years for having a sawn-off shotgun in a stolen car he was driving.

Martin Walsh of Balbutcher Drive, Ballymun pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to unlawful possession of the gun on April 30, 2007 at Swords Road, Santry.

The father-of-four also pleaded guilty before Judge Frank O’Donnell to unlawful use of the car.

Judge O’Donnell rejected a defence plea to not impose the mandatory minimum sentence on the grounds of "exceptional and specific circumstances".

The judge said Walsh is at the age when he should "have more sense" and the gun he was carrying "was not locally designed for shooting rabbits but to cause the greatest havoc to human beings around it".

Garda Eamon Keane told prosecuting counsel, Mr Vincent Heneghan BL, that gardaí set up a check point after being tipped off that Walsh would be in a stolen Ford Mondeo and that the registration would be changed.

When the weapon and three shotgun cartridges were found in the boot, Walsh said he had just bought the car for €200 and knew nothing about the gun. He later said he had been paid €200 to move the car.

Gda Keane said that when Walsh’s fingerprints were found on the gun, he said he learned of the gun after seeing it in the boot when collecting it. He said he was told to get in the car and follow someone else but the person he was following got through the checkpoint.

Gda Keane said Walsh, who planned to marry soon, had 12 previous convictions, including possession of drugs for sale or supply.

Gda Keane agreed with defence counsel, Mr Pádraig Dwyer SC, that he accepted Walsh’s story about the gun.

He also agreed with Mr Dwyer that Walsh had a heroin addiction when he committed the crime but was looking healthier now. He was upset when arrested but, despite all his previous convictions, had never spent time in jail.

Mr Dwyer submitted that Walsh left school at 14 and started working at 15. His children were aged eight, five, four and 15 months and he volunteered at a local football club. He added Walsh was now drug free.