Teenager jailed for possession of revolver

A teenager has been jailed for carrying a revolver which fired when he threw it during a garda chase.

The 17-year-old, who cannot be identified because of his age, was carrying the gun in suspicious circumstances and gardai had “sensitive information” about its intended use, the court heard.

When armed gardaí were about to close in on him during a foot-chase, he tossed the weapon and it fired a shot when it hit the ground.

The boy was sentenced to five years with three suspended and backdated to last October. Judge Martin Nolan also ordered he undergo three years probation supervision.

Judge Nolan said the boy “must be punished” but also that his “rehabilitation” was at the forefront of the court’s mind.

The youth pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possession of a .36 Webley and Scott revolver and six rounds of ammunition at East Road, East Wall on October 30, 2010.

A ballistics report stated the gun had been deactivated by a weapons factory in Britain but that it was later illegally reactivated. Its serial number and other identifying marks had also been filed off.

The weapon was in “fair” condition and was not capable of firing when the trigger was pulled. It could only fire when a large force was applied to the gun’s hammer, such as the impact when it hit the road during the chase.

Judge Nolan asked Detective Garda James King why the boy had the gun. The detective replied that they had “sensitive” information about its intended use but did not give any more details.

Det Gda King told prosecuting counsel, Ms Elva Duffy BL, that gardaí received confidential information about a gun being transported and set up a surveillance operation in the East Wall area of Dublin.

The boy was spotted coming out of an apartment complex and when gardaí approached him he sprinted in the opposite direction. Gardaí ran after him and during the chase, the youth threw the gun away and it hit the road causing it to fire.

Det Gda King said he was pursuing in a patrol car. He got out and shouted at the youth: “Armed gardaí, stop.” The boy stopped, put up his hands and was arrested.

The detective said the youth has 25 previous convictions for relatively minor matters. He agreed with Ms Aileen Donnelly SC, defending, that he had entered a very early guilty plea.

Ms Donnelly said her client has a very low IQ and a borderline learning disability. She added that he has low self-esteem and also suffers from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.