Courts / Dublin / Report

"IRA bomb-maker" appeals conviction

Summary

Samuel Devlin, 59, from Northern Ireland, was convicted by the Special Criminal Court for unlawful possession of PETN on 11 May 2014 at Finnstown House Hotel, Lucan. He was found guilty of being an IRA bomb‑maker and sentenced to six years' imprisonment on 6 April 2016. The trial, lasting three weeks, relied on evidence from the Special Detective Unit, including a warrant obtained at 3.30 am on a Sunday to search the hotel. Three rolls of detonator cord, 26 metres long and containing PETN, were discovered wrapped in a towel inside a laptop bag. Devlin was arrested during the search. He has now appealed his conviction in the Court of Appeal, where the judge has reserved judgment. The appeal challenges the manner in which the search warrant was obtained, the timing of its use, the handling of DNA evidence, and the court's inference that Devlin knew the cords were explosives. Samuel Devlin pleaded not guilty.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: "IRA bomb-maker" appeals conviction. Charges or matters: unlawful possession of the explosive substance (PETN) at the same address on May 11th, 2014. Procedural stage: appeal. Findings: Found guilty

When:

• May 11th, 2014 Incident
• April 6, 2016 Incident
• May 11th Hearing Or Sentence
• 2017-05-23 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Appeal

Related court reports

• Solicitor agrees not to contact former tenant following High Court settlement
• No jail for Afghan man who laundered €45k while on social welfare
• 'I guess this is just my turn': visually impaired woman describes panic during false imprisonment by bogus taxi driver
• 'Nuisance' offender gets life for murdering 'drunken bowsie' after 'lewd requests'
• Parcel from South Africa contained €210k worth of cannabis
• Custody records of Ana Kriegel killer 'crucial to appeal', court told

Read the original CNI report