Terrence Wheelock's brother faces sentence for possession of weapons

The brother of a man who hanged himself in garda custody will be sentenced later for possessing weapons in an overcrowded car in Dublin city centre.

Marcus Wheelock (aged 39) refused to explain why he had a baseball bat, knuckle-duster and Stanley knife in a car stopped by gardaí. The car was stopped because it was carrying six people.

Ms Marie Torrens BL, defending, submitted that her client has not offended since, though he had just been released from serving a sentence for attempted robbery when he was caught with the weapons.

Wheelock, of Clogher Road, Crumlin, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possessing the items at Gloucester Place on December 15, 2007.

He has 22 previous convictions for similar offences and a 2005 attempted robbery and assault.

His younger brother, Terrence Wheelock, was found unconscious in a Store Street garda station cell after hanging himself using a cord from his tracksuit bottoms on June 2, 2005.

He never regained consciousness and died three months later in hospital.

Sergeant Brian Delaney told Ms Lisa Dempsey BL, prosecuting, that a baseball bat fell to the ground as Marcus Wheelock emerged from the silver Nissan Primera car.

Sgt Delaney said Wheelock took a knuckle-duster and knife from his pockets and placed them on the car’s roof when told he would be searched.

Wheelock claimed the baseball bat was a souvenir from Spain.

The sergeant agreed with Ms Torrens that her client, a father-of-four, had a long standing drug and alcohol problem.

Judge Frank O’Donnell put the matter back to July pending a probation and welfare report.