Courts / Dublin / Report
Jail for man linked to revolver found inside blood-stained bag
Summary
Sean Ruth, 29, of Rathangan, Co Kildare, was sentenced at the Special Criminal Court for possession of a .38 Special Rossi revolver and a 9mm round. He pleaded guilty to charges under the Firearms Act, 1925. Presiding Judge Paul Coffey, sitting with Judges Gerard Griffin and David McHugh, accepted that these items were unconnected to the larger arsenal recovered from Greenogue Business Park on January 24, 2017. The court noted the firearm and ammunition were incompatible and unused. Considering Ruth's 29 previous convictions as an aggravating factor, the headline sentence was set at four and a half years. This was reduced to three and a half years due to his guilty plea. The final six months of the sentence were suspended on the condition that Ruth enter a peace bond. The sentence was backdated to May 17, 2017, when he entered custody. The court also referenced the convictions of Jonathan Harding and James Walsh, who pleaded guilty to possessing nine revolvers, four pistols, a sub-machine gun, an assault rifle, and ammunition magazines at the same location. In January 2018, Harding was sentenced to ten years with one year suspended, while Walsh received nine years with one year suspended.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Jail for man linked to revolver found inside blood-stained bag. Charges or matters: were "unconnected" to the firearms which had been recovered from Greenogue Business Park; the possession of nine revolvers, four pistols, a sub-machine gun, an assault rifle and various ammunition magazines at the unit in Greenogue Business Park on January 24, 2017. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- January 22 Incident
- January 1, 2016 Incident
- January 24, 2017 Incident
- May 17, 2017 Hearing Or Sentence
- January 2018 Incident
- January 24 Incident
- May 7, 2017 Incident
- May 2017 Incident
- 2019-02-08 Publication
Why: The headline sentence was reduced from four and a half years to three and a half years because of this guilty plea, said the judge, adding that both sentences are to run concurrently. CNI source report
Case subjects
Convicted Person
Charges: the possession of nine revolvers, four pistols, a sub-machine gun, an assault rifle and various ammunition magazines at the unit in Greenogue Business Park on January 24, 2017 (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: In January 2018, Harding was sentenced to ten years in prison with one year suspended and Walsh was sentenced to nine years in prison with one year suspended.
Convicted Person
Charges: the possession of nine revolvers, four pistols, a sub-machine gun, an assault rifle and various ammunition magazines at the unit in Greenogue Business Park on January 24, 2017 (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Defendant
Charges: were "unconnected" to the firearms which had been recovered from Greenogue Business Park; the possession of nine revolvers, four pistols, a sub-machine gun, an assault rifle and various ammunition magazines at the unit in Greenogue Business Park on January 24, 2017 (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: Passing sentence today, presiding judge Mr Justice Paul Coffey said that it was accepted by the prosecution that the charges which Ruth had pleaded guilty to were "unconnected" to the firearms which had been recovered from Greenogue Business Park. Sentencing the defendant today, Mr Justice Coffey, sitting with Judge Gerard Griffin and Judge David McHugh, sentenced Ruth to three and a half years imprisonment with the final six months suspended, backdated to May 17, 2017 when he went into custody.
Places mentioned
- Special Criminal Court
- Greenogue Business Park
- Grants Drive
- Greenogue Business Park
- was detained at Clondlakin Garda Station
Topics
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