Man who pointed gun at party-goer given suspended sentence

A man who pointed a shotgun at a party-goer because he was irate at loud music playing in his neighbour’s house has been given a three-year suspended sentence.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard heard Andrew Rowe (47) took his legally-held shotgun around to the house where a 21st birthday party was being held at 11.45pm, pointed it at the man who answered the door and told him: “Keep the f**king noise down.”

The court heard that when the man asked him if his gun was real, Rowe replied: “Do you want to f**king find out if it is or not?”

The victim closed the door quickly and gardaí were called.

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Rowe, with an address at Broadway Park, Clonsilla, Dublin 15, pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm in Clonsilla on August 7th, 2020. He has no previous convictions.

The court heard the shotgun was licensed to Rowe and has been in his family for 30 years for hunting purposes. He told gardaí he had only shot it about five times in the past.

When gardaí called to his house that same night, they found the shotgun locked away in its safe. It was not loaded. His gun licence has since been rescinded.

Rowe, who works as an electrician, has not come to the attention of gardaí since this incident, the court heard. He disappeared in the wake of the offence and his mother reported him missing, the court heard. He was in the Isle of Man for a period of time before he returned to the jurisdiction this year.

Sentencing Rowe, Judge Martin Nolan said he was prepared to accept the shotgun was not loaded when Rowe brought it to his neighbour’s house. He said this was a case involving “loud music” which Rowe decided to deal with in an “extreme way”.

He noted Rowe is unlikely to receive a gun licence again.

Judge Nolan handed down a three year sentence and suspended it on a number of conditions. “If you do something stupid like this again you’ll go to jail,” he told Rowe.