Courts / Limerick / Report

Combined sentences of 21.5 years for pair caught with loaded gun

Date
2019-07-15

Stage
Sentence

Primary locality
Limerick

Summary

Two Limerick men, John O'Donoghue (29) and Paul Whelan (25), were sentenced by the Special Criminal Court to a combined 21 years after armed Gardaí stopped their car and found a loaded 9mm Colt pistol with eight rounds, a petrol canister, latex gloves, clothes and cocaine. The judge, Ms Justice Tara Burns, described the operation as carefully planned, noting the pistol was primed with a round in the breach and an accelerant was present, indicating intent to use the gun and possibly burn the vehicle to destroy evidence. Both men had pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm in suspicious circumstances, for which each received a five‑year sentence. The headline sentences were 12 years each, but after mitigating factors the court imposed 11 years for O'Donoghue and 10½ years for Whelan, backdated to 13 July 2018. The lesser sentences were also imposed for the firearms charges. The court highlighted the men's prior convictions and the seriousness of the offence.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Combined sentences of 21.5 years for pair caught with loaded gun. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

July 30, 2018 Incident
September 2006 Incident
July 13, 2018 Incident
2019-07-15 Publication

Case subjects

John O'Donoghue

Convicted Person

Outcome: Ms Justice Burns set the headline sentence for each man at 12 years and, after considering the mitigating circumstances, jailed O'Donoghue for 11 years and Whelan for ten years and six months. The sentences are backdated to July 13, 2018 when both men went into custody.

Paul Whelan

Convicted Person