Courts / Dublin / Report

Prisoner "pressurised" man into plan to fire shots at family home

Date
2018-03-21

Stage
Sentence

Primary locality
Dublin

County
Dublin

Summary

Sean Mooney, aged 26, was jailed for three and a half years after a prisoner pressured him into planning to fire a sawn‑off shotgun at a family home in Dublin. Two adults and four children, including a baby, were present when Mooney pointed the gun at the front door. CCTV footage showed him wearing black with his face covered; the weapon jammed and he walked away, later returning with the gun. A phone was thrown at the door, causing a bang, and Mooney fled. No shots were fired and no injuries occurred. Mooney claimed he was "casing" the area to find houses to burgle to pay a €5,000 gambling debt, but Garda Stephen Tierney said the footage contradicted this. Mooney had communicated with a prisoner in Mountjoy who instructed him to intimidate the occupants because of a grudge against a former resident. Sean Mooney pleaded guilty.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Prisoner "pressurised" man into plan to fire shots at family home. Charges or matters: possession of a firearm with intention to commit burglary on December 2, 2013. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

December 2, 2013 Incident
2018-03-21 Publication

Why: A man who was pressurised by a prisoner into a plan to fire gunshots at a family home because of a grudge with a previous occupant of the house has been jailed for three and a half years. CNI source report