A Co Cork chef arrested during a Garda investigation into IRA money-laundering following the 2004 Northern Bank robbery has been jailed for four years for IRA membership by the Special Criminal Court in Dublin.
Don Bullman was found in possession of a washing-powder box containing €94,250 after his arrest outside Heuston Station in Dublin.
Bullman (32), a chef and father of two, Leghanamore, Wilton, Co Cork, had denied membership of the IRA on February 16th, 2005.
Mr Justice Paul Butler, presiding at the three-judge non-jury court, said much had been said about the robbery of the Northern Bank, possession of a large sum of money and money-laundering, which was of legitimate interest to the Garda and was of public interest.
However, he stressed that Bullman had been convicted only of IRA membership and had not been charged with or accused of any other offence. There was no evidence of the level of Bullman's involvement in the IRA.
Mr Justice Butler said the court had taken into account the fact that Bullman had no previous convictions, had honoured all his bail conditions, was extremely hard-working and supported his own family and the children of his late brother.
Bullman had said he never was or never would be involved with subversive organisations, but he had used identical language during his trial and the court had found beyond a reasonable doubt that he was guilty of membership of an unlawful organisation.
Det Supt Diarmuid O'Sullivan told the court that Bullman was arrested after a Garda operation following the £26.5 million Northern Bank robbery in Belfast in December 2004.
He said gardaí had confidential information that Bullman would be meeting people at Heuston Station in Dublin with a view to transferring some of the finances which were part of that robbery.
Gardaí had arrested Bullman after he met two other men in a four-wheel drive at Heuston, and when they examined a rucksack in the back of the vehicle, they found a Daz box containing €94,250, concealed in washing powder.
Det Supt O'Sullivan told Bullman's counsel Conor Devally SC that Bullman had two children of his own and was raising four children of his late brother, aged between seven months and six years.
The court heard during the trial that Bullman denied in interviews with gardaí that he was a member of the IRA or had any involvement in its activities.
Convicting Bullman last month, Mr Justice Butler said he was satisfied that Bullman had failed to answer material questions put to him during Garda interviews. He also accepted the opinion evidence of Assistant Garda Commissioner Ray McAndrew that Bullman was a member of the IRA.
In his evidence, Bullman said he was a member of Sinn Féin in the past but was now a supporter.
Bullman said he attended a catering exhibition at the RDS every two years and that he had filled in an application form in his own name while travelling on the train from Cork. He said he had not written "Gerry McCabe, Catering Officer, the Garda Club" on a name-tag, and said he had put the name-tag in his back pocket because it was in bad taste.
Mr Justice Butler said that the court must find on the basis of the evidence of a handwriting expert that Bullman did write his own name on the application form, but did not write "Gerry McCabe."
The judge ordered Bullman's sentence to be backdated to March 7th to take into account time he has spent in custody.