Courts / Dublin / Report

Jail for supermarket manager found with shotgun and stolen motorbike

Summary

Edward O'Keeffe, a 38‑year‑old supermarket manager, was sentenced to five years in prison for possessing a sawn‑off semi‑automatic shotgun and a stolen Suzuki motorcycle. Gardaí searched his Mulhuddart home on the basis of confidential information and found the gun in a bag under the floorboards, wrapped in black tape, and a spent cartridge. The shotgun had not been used in any offence. O'Keeffe claimed he was pressured by a criminal gang to hold the items. He pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Judge Melanie Greally suspended the last two and a half years of the sentence, citing financial pressures and evidence of his responsible family role. The judge noted that the gang's operations relied on people "under the radar" and that O'Keeffe was not on any Garda radar. The case was defended by Kenneth Kerins BL, who highlighted O'Keeffe's managerial role and the distress of his children during the search.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Jail for supermarket manager found with shotgun and stolen motorbike. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

• December 4, 2017 Incident
• 2019-03-28 Publication

Why: Counsel said his client refused to name the people who gave him the items because he was in fear. CNI source report

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Sentence Theft

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Read the original CNI report