Probation Act for man who shot burglar at elderly father's farm

At Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, a 51-year-old man from Inniskeen, County Monaghan, was given the benefit of the Probation Act after pleading guilty to unlawful possession of a shotgun without a firearms certificate. Richard Lowndes had discharged his elderly father's legally held shotgun at a burglar on 12 April 2012 at Kilsallaghan, Swords, County Dublin. The burglar, who had entered the farmhouse after claiming his car had broken down, was shot in the arm as he attempted to escape across a field. The Director of Public Prosecutions withdrew the more serious charge of reckless discharge. Judge Martin Nolan noted Lowndes's unblemished character and working background, though cautioned against acting impulsively when distressed. The burglar subsequently received a six-year sentence with four years suspended for the offence and related crimes.