A heroin addict caught with two hand grenades and a handgun down the front of his trousers has been jailed for five years.
Paul Dunphy (45) of Allenton Drive, Tallaght was arrested after gardai received a confidential tip-off. He claimed he was just told to collect the items and was not sure what they were.
He pleaded guilty before the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possession of the gun and explosives at Walkinstown Road, Crumlin on March 19th, 2009.
Judge Frank O’Donnell told Dunphy: “In this gun- and ammunition-ridden society I consider the offence very serious.”
He imposed the presumptive minimum sentence of five years applicable to the offence of possession of firearms in suspicious circumstances. He ordered the destruction of the gun and explosives.
Detective Garda David McKenley told prosecuting counsel, Tony McGillicuddy that he and his colleague were investigating the suspected collection of a firearm by Dunphy.
As they drove down the Walkinstown Road they were passed by a car with a registration number mentioned in the tip-off. They followed the car as it turned into a carpark and approached it when it came to a stop.
Dunphy, who was in the passenger seat, was told to get out of the car and searched. Gardai found a plastic bag stuffed down the front of his trousers which contained a Glock 9 mm semiautomatic handgun and two fragmentation hand grenades. Each item was wrapped in a black sock.
He told gardai: “I was asked to collect it, I know it’s a firearm.” He said he had collected it alone and the driver of the car was not involved.
He was arrested and taken to Crumlin Garda station where he told gardai where he collected it from. He also gave them his mobile phone security code so they could check his incoming calls.
Test were carried out on the items and they were found to be in working order. The handgun was unloaded and the serial number had been filed off while the hand grenades were found to be live and could be defined as explosives.
Det Garda McKenley said Dunphy had originally taken a trial date but admitted to the charges shortly afterwards. He said he has 18 previous convictions for offences including larceny and drugs possession.
Defence counsel Remy Farrell said his client was a plasterer but was currently out of work. He said he was addicted to heroin but was making good progress in a drug treatment course.
He said he had cooperated fully with gardaí and accepted he would have to go to jail.