Courts / Dublin / Report
Jail cut for "vulnerable" man paid €20 to put pipe bomb under prison officer's car
Summary
Mark O'Shea, aged 33 and without a fixed abode, pleaded guilty in June 2017 to possessing a pipe bomb that was found under a prison officer's car in Marino. The bomb, discovered by the officer's eight‑year‑old son, could not explode as it lacked a fuse. O'Shea had been paid €20 and a tray of tablets by two men to place the device. He had 25 prior convictions, all minor, and claimed he was "preyed upon" by others. Judge Martin Nolan originally sentenced him to five years' imprisonment, but the Court of Appeal, led by Justice Máire Whelan, reduced the sentence by suspending the final 12 months for two years. O'Shea must enter a good‑behaviour bond for the suspended period and for two years after release. The case remains at the sentencing stage.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Jail cut for "vulnerable" man paid €20 to put pipe bomb under prison officer's car. Charges or matters: possessing the pipe bomb at an address in Marino on June 11, 2017. Procedural stage: appeal
When:
- June 11, 2017 Incident
- 2018-10-19 Publication
Case subjects
Appellant
Charges: possessing the pipe bomb at an address in Marino on June 11, 2017 (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: Giving judgement in the Court of Appeal today, Ms Justice Máire Whelan said O'Shea's lawyers had established a sufficient evidential foundation for contending that the sentencing judge ought to have imposed a more lenient sentence. Ms Justice Whelan, who sat with President of the Court of Appeal Mr Justice George Birmingham and Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy, re-sentenced O'Shea to five years imprisonment with the final 12 months suspended.
Places mentioned
- The prison
- Dublin
- Dublin Circuit Criminal Court
- Court of Appeal
Topics
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