Courts / Louth / Report

Louth man caught making 500lb bomb in his shed is jailed for 8.5 years

Summary

Philip McKevitt, 62, of Aghaboys, Mount Pleasant, Dundalk, was sentenced by the Special Criminal Court to eight and a half years' imprisonment for the possession of explosive substances. The court found that a bomb, fully loaded, would have weighed 500 lb. McKevitt had previously been convicted in 2012 for the same offence, but the verdict was overturned on appeal and a retrial was ordered. The case began in May 2010 when Gardaí received information about IRA activity in Louth and conducted a surveillance operation outside McKevitt's house. On 22 May 2010, Gardaí entered his shed and seized two adapted gas cylinders, fifty‑two 500‑g bags of glucose, a 377‑metre roll of wire, and a command wire. DNA matching McKevitt was found on a cylinder handle, though he denied knowledge of the items. The sentence was back‑dated to 22 March 2011. Conan Murphy, 29, was also convicted and jailed for six years. Philip McKevitt pleaded guilty.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Louth man caught making 500lb bomb in his shed is jailed for 8.5 years. Charges or matters: the same offence. Procedural stage: sentence. Findings: Convicted

When:

• May 22nd, 2010 Incident
• May 2010 Incident
• May 22nd Other
• March 22nd Other
• 2017-02-13 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

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Stage Sentence

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Read the original CNI report