Courts / Dublin / Report

'Trusted' gang member jailed over planned attack on rival

Date
2020-07-30
Stage
Sentence
Primary locality
Dublin
County
Dublin

Summary

Jake Kearney, 25, of Coolock Drive, Dublin 17, pleaded guilty on 5 May 2020 to unlawful possession of a Luger‑calibre Grand Power semi‑automatic pistol at Oscar Traynor Road, Santry, Dublin 9, on 30 October 2019. He was arrested after Gardaí observed him with a loaded handgun in a taxi and at a pub, where a black handgun and eight 9 mm bullets were seized. The firearm was intended for use in an imminent attack on a rival north Dublin gang, though it is not known whether Kearney himself would have fired it. The judge, Mr Justice Tony Hunt, noted Kearney's early guilty plea and limited prior convictions, and imposed a headline jail term of eight years, reduced by 25 % for the plea, and suspended the final year. Kearney was sentenced to six years' imprisonment with the last year suspended, back‑dated to 2 November 2019.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: 'Trusted' gang member jailed over planned attack on rival. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

Case subjects

Jake Kearney

Defendant

Plea: Guilty

Outcome: The judge suspended the final year of the sentence, telling Kearney: "it's for a specific purpose: to make better use of yourself". Mr Justice Hunt back-dated the five-year sentence to November 2, 2019, when Kearney first went into custody.

Places mentioned

Secondary Mention
Residence
Court Venue
  • Special Criminal Court
Address Area
  • Oscar Traynor Road
  • Swords Road
Incident
  • Oscar Traynor Road
Garda Station
  • and taken to Ballymun Garda Station
  • Ballymun

Topics

Stage Sentence

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