Courts / Dublin / Report

Man gave gardai "flippant" explanation for being "out of breath and sweating"

Date
2017-11-08
Stage
Sentence
Primary locality
Dublin
County
Dublin

Summary

During a Garda search for drugs in February 2016, a 23‑year‑old man named Glen Synott was found with a black sock containing four 9mm Makarov rounds hidden beneath decking in his back garden. Synott admitted hiding the sock but claimed the bullets were not his, saying he had been asked to hold them for a €200 drug debt. He also stated he was out of breath and sweating because he had been "having a wank", an explanation the Garda found "flippant" and did not accept. Synott was arrested and later pleaded guilty to possession of firearms ammunition under suspicious circumstances. The court imposed a five‑year custodial sentence, suspended for five years on strict conditions, including remaining drug‑free, engaging with addiction services, random urine tests and probation appointments. He had three prior convictions, two for public order offences and one for not wearing a crash helmet on a motorbike.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Man gave gardai "flippant" explanation for being "out of breath and sweating". Charges or matters: possession of firearms ammunition under suspicious circumstances in his home on February 2, 2016. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

Why: Glen Synott (23) later told gardai he had been out of breath and sweating when they arrived because he had been "having a wank". CNI source report

Case subjects

Glen Synott

Defendant

Charges: possession of firearms ammunition under suspicious circumstances in his home on February 2, 2016 (Admitted)

Plea: Guilty

Outcome: Judge Terrence O'Sullivan imposed a five-year custodial sentence which he suspended for a period of five years on strict conditions. Judge O'Sullivan suspended the five-year sentence under the conditions that Synott remain drug free, engage with addiction services, submit to random urine analysis and keep all appointments with the probation service.

Places mentioned

Residence
Court Venue
  • Dublin
  • Dublin Circuit Criminal Court
Garda Station
  • and taken to Finglas Garda Station

Topics

Drugs Public Order Stage Sentence

Related court reports

Read the original CNI report

Correction or retraction request

If a fact, identity, locality or legal outcome needs review, email the newsroom with this report's details prefilled.

Email a correction request