Courts / Kildare / Report

Sentences totalling 15.5 years over 167kg explosives find

Date
2019-04-12

Stage
Sentence

Primary locality
Naas

County
Kildare

Summary

Two men, John Brock (46) and John Roche (55), were found in joint control of 167 kg of explosives in a black Skoda Fabia on Naas Road. The explosives, weighing 23–24 stone, included ammonium nitrate fuel mix and 38 rolls of Kemegel industrial explosives, and were deemed capable of causing death, injury and damage. Both pleaded not guilty to possession of 57 kg of homemade explosives. The non‑jury Special Criminal Court convicted them and sentenced Roche to seven years' imprisonment and Brock to eight and a half years. Brock was offered an 18‑month reduction if he dissociated from dissident organisations. The court noted the men's involvement was limited to transportation and that Roche had no prior convictions, while Brock had a previous firearms conviction. No further charges were pursued.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Sentences totalling 15.5 years over 167kg explosives find. Charges or matters: possession of 57kg of homemade explosives, consisting of ammonium nitrate fuel mix, and thirty-eight 2.5kg rolls of Kemegel industrial explosives at Naas Road, Dublin 12, on April 13, 2016. Procedural stage: sentence. Findings: Convicted

When:

April 13, 2016 Incident
August 15, 2008 Hearing Or Sentence
2019-04-12 Publication

Case subjects

John Brock

Co Accused

Charges: possession of 57kg of homemade explosives, consisting of ammonium nitrate fuel mix, and thirty-eight 2.5kg rolls of Kemegel industrial explosives at Naas Road, Dublin 12, on April 13, 2016 (Proven)

Plea: Not guilty

Finding: Convicted

Outcome: Convicted; John Roche (55) was today sentenced to seven years in prison, while his co-accused John Brock (46) was jailed for eight and a half years. Brock was convicted for possessing firearms and ammunition in the Special Criminal Court in 2008 and was sentenced to six years in prison.

John Roche

Convicted Person

Plea: Not guilty

Outcome: John Roche (55) was today sentenced to seven years in prison, while his co-accused John Brock (46) was jailed for eight and a half years. Passing sentence on Roche, Mr Justice Hunt said that the two mitigating factors in his case were that he had not contested the prosecution evidence during the trial and he was a man in his mid-fifties with health difficulties.