Court archive
Court reports mentioning Drumcliff, Sligo
2020-03-03 · Dublin
Owen Cummins, 41, of Cabra, Dublin 7, was sentenced to nine years and six months imprisonment by the Special Criminal Court for possessing a Beretta 92s handgun and silencer in suspicious circumstances. The offence occurred on September 6, 2017, in Inchicore, Dublin 8, during a confrontation with armed gardai. Cummins pleaded guilty to the charge. The court heard that Cummins drove a jeep towards Garda Stephen Gillespie, who was restraining co-accused Andrew O'Keeffe on the ground. Fearing for his life, the garda discharged his firearm, causing Cummins to swerve and collide with a parked vehicle. Mr Justice Hunt, sitting with Judges Griffin and Dempsey, reduced the headline sentence from 12 years to nine years and six months, citing mitigating factors including Cummins' guilty plea and the recent death of his 19-year-old child. A further 18 months of the sentence was suspended to encourage rehabilitation. The sentence was backdated to May 27, 2019. Cummins has 68 previous convictions. Separately, co-accused Andrew O'Keeffe, 30, of Cabra West, pleaded guilty in June 2018 to possessing a 9mm Beretta handgun and silencer in suspicious circumstances on the same date. He was sentenced in August 2018 to nine years imprisonment with one year suspended.
2020-01-20 · Dublin
Owen Cummins, 41, of Cabra, Dublin 7, pleaded guilty at the Special Criminal Court to possessing a Beretta 92s handgun and silencer in suspicious circumstances on September 6, 2017. The court heard that gardai, acting on intelligence regarding a potential hit in Ballyfermot, pursued a Citroen Berlingo van driven by Cummins. After a collision, Cummins fled in a Hyundai Tucson jeep, driving directly at Garda Stephen Gillespie, who was restraining passenger Andrew O'Keeffe. The garda discharged his firearm to dissuade the vehicle, which subsequently struck a parked Volkswagen Passat. Cummins then abandoned the jeep. O'Keeffe, 30, previously pleaded guilty to possessing the firearm and was sentenced in August 2018 to nine years' imprisonment, with one year suspended. Cummins, who has 68 previous convictions, was represented by Michael O'Higgins SC, who described him as a former heroin addict acting as a driver under instructions. The matter was adjourned, with Mr Justice Tony Hunt scheduled to sentence Cummins on March 3.
2019-03-29 · Kerry
A 42-year-old man has been sentenced to 14 months imprisonment for dangerous driving causing death at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. James Dingle, of Drumcliffe Road, Cabra, Dublin pleaded guilty to causing the death of Maureen Creaner, aged 92, on Navan Road, Cabra on 4 September 2016. The collision occurred as Mrs Creaner crossed the road to purchase a newspaper. Garda collision experts established Dingle was travelling at 64 kilometres per hour in a 50 kilometre per hour zone. A breath test revealed he was marginally over the legal drink-driving limit, having consumed alcohol the previous evening. Analysis of his phone activity indicated significant sleep deprivation in the hours before the incident. Judge Martin Nolan noted Dingle had made conscious decisions regarding his condition and speed, for which he bore responsibility. Mitigating factors included his remaining at the scene and full co-operation with gardaí. Dingle was also disqualified from driving for four years.
2018-07-31 · Dublin
A Dublin man has been sentenced to eight years imprisonment by the Special Criminal Court for possessing a 9mm Beretta handgun and silencer. Andrew O'Keeffe, aged 29, from Drumcliff Road, Cabra West, Dublin 7, pleaded guilty in June to the offence at Kylemore Way in Inchicore on 6 September 2017. The incident occurred during a confrontation with armed gardai in which an officer discharged seven rounds after a jeep drove towards officers restraining O'Keeffe on the ground. Mr Justice Tony Hunt noted a headline sentence of twelve years but reduced it to nine years with one year suspended, taking into account O'Keeffe's early guilty plea and longstanding drug addiction. The judge remarked on O'Keeffe's extensive criminal history spanning seventy-one previous convictions. The sentence was backdated to 6 September 2017 when O'Keeffe entered custody. The court heard O'Keeffe was not the driver of the vehicle from which the weapon was discarded.
2018-07-24 · Dublin
A Dublin man pleaded guilty at the Special Criminal Court to possessing a 9mm Beretta handgun and silencer following an armed garda operation in September 2017. Andrew O'Keeffe, aged 29, from Drumcliff Road, Cabra West, Dublin 7, was arrested after gardai responded to intelligence regarding a firearm at Ballyfermot. During the incident, officers pursued a white van which fled at speed towards Inchicore. The vehicle came to a stop at bollards on Kylemore Way, and as O'Keeffe and another man ran towards a parked jeep, a garda officer discharged his firearm seven times when the jeep was driven towards gardai. O'Keeffe was detained and the weapon, containing nine rounds, was recovered from a plastic bag discarded during the pursuit. His fingerprints and DNA were found on items connected to the incident. The court heard O'Keeffe has seventy-one previous convictions and a long-standing cocaine addiction. His barrister highlighted his early guilty plea and lengthy period in custody. The three-judge panel remanded him in custody pending sentencing on 31 July.
2018-06-13 · Dublin
A 28-year-old Dublin man has pleaded guilty at the Special Criminal Court to unlawful possession of a firearm and silencer. Andrew O'Keeffe, with an address on Drumcliff Road in Cabra West, Dublin 7, admitted to possessing a 9mm Beretta handgun and silencer at Kylemore Way in Ballyfermot on 6 September 2017. The three-judge court, presided over by Mr Justice Tony Hunt alongside Judge Patricia Ryan and Judge Michael Walsh, remanded O'Keeffe in custody pending sentencing. He will return before the court on 24 July for sentencing to be imposed.