Court archive
Court reports mentioning Kilmore, Wexford
2022-06-30 · Dublin
Edward McDonnell, a convicted sex offender aged 57, was sentenced to nine years' imprisonment by the Special Criminal Court for unlawful possession of a Grand Power G9 semi‑automatic pistol. The pistol was found in a car driven by Stephen Little, 48, who was also charged with possession of the weapon in suspicious circumstances. Little was sentenced to six years. McDonnell's appeal to the Court of Appeal was dismissed. The appeal argued that the disparity between McDonnell's nine‑year sentence and Little's six‑year sentence was an error, citing differences in plea timing, previous convictions and alleged involvement in a revenge plot for the murder of Sean Little, 22, who was shot dead in May 2019. The Court of Appeal, with Mr Justice McCarthy presiding, found no basis for the disparity and upheld the nine‑year sentence. Stephen Little pleaded guilty.
2020-08-31 · Dublin
The Special Criminal Court sentenced Stephen Little (47) and Edward McDonnell (56) for unlawful possession of a semi-automatic weapon. Little, of Dublin 5, pleaded guilty to possessing a Grand Power G9 pistol at Lein Park, Harmonstown, on September 14, 2019. He was sentenced to six years' imprisonment, backdated to December 21, 2019. The judge noted Little's motivation was the murder of his son, Sean Little, and accepted he was not the intended triggerman. McDonnell, of New Ross, Co Wexford, also pleaded guilty to possessing the weapon at the same location and date. He received a nine-year sentence, backdated to September 16, 2019. The court highlighted McDonnell's 47 previous convictions and his guilty plea entered on the fifth day of trial. Both men were originally charged with having the weapon with intent to endanger life but convicted under Section 27A (1) of the Firearms Act. Gardaí recovered the loaded handgun under the passenger seat of an Audi, along with balaclavas, gloves, and a petrol can. Little, who drove McDonnell to the scene, made statements to gardaí expressing intent to kill the person responsible for his son's death. The judge described the case as one of "intended lethality" avoided by Garda intervention. Both defendants were remanded in custody prior to sentencing.
2020-07-21 · Dublin
In a Special Criminal Court hearing, Stephen Little, 47, and Edward McDonnell, 56, were charged with unlawful possession of a Grand Power G9 semi‑automatic pistol and intent to endanger life. The case stemmed from a gun seizure on a Dublin estate on 14 September 2019. Gardaí recovered a loaded handgun under the passenger seat of an Audi, along with a red petrol can, a long‑handled lighter, two balaclavas, two baseball caps, and two pairs of gloves. Little's son, Sean, 22, had been shot dead in May 2019, an event that prompted Little to make a statement to police that "had you given me another hour I would have killed the bastard that killed him." McDonnell denied knowledge of the firearm. Both men were remanded in custody pending sentencing on 31 August. The court noted that Little had one prior traffic offence and McDonnell had 47 prior convictions, including robbery, sexual assault and assault causing harm. Stephen Little pleaded guilty. Edward McDonnell pleaded guilty.
2020-07-13 · Dublin
In a Special Criminal Court hearing, Edward McDonnell, aged 55, pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a Grand Power G9 semi‑automatic pistol at Lein Park, Harmonstown, Dublin, on 14 September 2019. The plea came just hours after his defence counsel, Michael Bowman SC, had applied to the court for a not‑guilty verdict on both counts. McDonnell had originally pleaded not guilty to possession of the pistol with intent to endanger life. Evidence presented during the five‑day trial included a loaded handgun found under the passenger seat of an Audi, two baseball hats, two balaclavas, gloves, a red petrol can, and a long‑handled lighter. The prosecution argued that the circumstances collectively proved the charge. The court set a sentence hearing for 21 July 2024. A second defendant, Stephen Little, 46, also pleaded guilty to the same offence and will have his sentence hearing on the same date.
2020-07-10 · Dublin
The trial of Edward McDonnell, 55, at the Special Criminal Court continues before Mr Justice Tony Hunt and two other judges. Mr McDonnell, of New Ross, Co Wexford, has pleaded not guilty to being in unlawful possession of a semi-automatic Grand Power G9 pistol and having it with intent to endanger life at Lein Park, Harmonstown, Dublin 5, on September 14, 2019. Prosecution evidence indicates that Detective Garda Ronan Doolan interviewed the accused at Raheny Garda Station, where he claimed ignorance of the firearm and stated he was "innocent of any crime." The court heard that items including balaclavas, gloves, and a petrol can were found in the Audi vehicle from which Mr McDonnell was removed. Additionally, forensic analysis linked mobile phones seized from the accused to devices found in a Toyota Avensis. In a related matter, Stephen Little, 46, of Dublin 5, pleaded guilty last month to the unlawful possession of the same Grand Power G9 pistol at the same location and date. The trial is ongoing and was adjourned to Monday.
2020-07-07 · Dublin
During a Special Criminal Court hearing on 7 July 2020, the trial of Edward McDonnell, 55, of Waterside Apartments, New Ross, was presented. McDonnell pleaded not guilty to unlawful possession of a Grand Power G9 semi‑automatic pistol and to having the weapon with intent to endanger life. Garda Joseph Enright testified that he had observed a silver Toyota Avensis driven by Stephen Little, 46, on 11 September 2019, and that a loaded handgun was found under the passenger seat of the vehicle the day before McDonnell was forcibly removed. Enright also described items that fell from McDonnell's lap upon arrest, including baseball hats, balaclavas, gloves, a red petrol can and a long‑handled lighter. The court heard that a surveillance operation, led by Detective Inspector Noel Browne, had been underway in north Dublin from 11 September, culminating in the discovery of the firearm and related items. The trial was scheduled to continue on Thursday.
2020-07-06 · Dublin
In a Special Criminal Court hearing, Edward McDonnell, 55, of Waterside Apartments, New Ross, was arraigned on two charges of unlawful possession of a Grand Power G9 semi‑automatic pistol and possession of that weapon with intent to endanger life. The prosecution, represented by Sean Gillane SC, presented evidence from a Garda surveillance operation that began on 11 September 2019 in north Dublin. The operation involved a Toyota Avensis driven by Stephen Little and an unknown male, and a navy‑coloured Audi parked at Lein Park, Harmonstown. On 13 September, Garda Jonathan O'Leary discovered a loaded handgun under the Avensis passenger seat, removed its magazine, and later returned it to the seat. On 14 September, McDonnell allegedly exited the Avensis, approached the Audi, took a key, and entered the vehicle before being arrested. During the arrest, items such as two balaclavas, two black caps, two pairs of gloves, a red petrol can, and an encrypted phone were recovered. Edward McDonnell pleaded not guilty.