Courts / Roscommon / Report
8 years for man whose gun jammed when he tried to shoot ex-girlfriend in head
Summary
A man has been sentenced to eight years in prison at the Central Criminal Court for the attempted murder of his ex-girlfriend in County Roscommon. Gerard Mooney, aged thirty-nine and formerly of Castlerea, pleaded guilty to attempting to shoot the woman in the head on 12th February 2017 at Cartron. He also admitted possessing a sawn-off shotgun, making threats to kill, criminal damage, harassment, and burglary. Justice Michael White imposed a twelve-year sentence on the attempted murder charge, suspending the final four years. The judge noted that Mooney came "within a hair's breadth" of a murder conviction and that his victim survived only due to mechanical failure when the weapon jammed repeatedly. The court heard the accused had made over 250 calls to the victim between 7th and 12th February and had breached court bail conditions prohibiting contact. Justice White identified the case as exemplifying how intimate relationships can become dangerous, citing psychological difficulties and substance abuse as contributing factors. All sentences will run concurrently and were backdated to February 2017.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: 8 years for man whose gun jammed when he tried to shoot ex-girlfriend in head. Charges or matters: harassing Ms Clifton by persistently following, watching, pestering, besetting or communicating with her between 7th and 12th February 2017; committing burglary at the home of Stephen O'Donoghue in Cartron by entering as a trespasser and committing assault causing harm to Stephanie Clifton. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- 12th February 2017 Incident
- February 15, 2017 Incident
- 7th February Other
- 12th February Incident
- 2019-01-18 Publication
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: harassing Ms Clifton by persistently following, watching, pestering, besetting or communicating with her between 7th and 12th February 2017; committing burglary at the home of Stephen O'Donoghue in Cartron by entering as a trespasser and committing assault causing harm to Stephanie Clifton (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: On the attempted murder charge Justice White imposed a 12-year sentence but suspended the last four. He sentenced him to five years for burglary, eight years for possession of a firearm, three years for criminal damage, five years for threatening to kill and two years for harassment.
Places mentioned
Topics
Burglary Stage Sentence Violent Crime
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