Courts / Dublin / Report

Six years for dad caught with gun after murder of son

Date
2020-08-31

Stage
Sentence

Primary locality
Dublin

County
Dublin

Summary

The Special Criminal Court sentenced Stephen Little (47) and Edward McDonnell (56) for unlawful possession of a semi-automatic weapon. Little, of Dublin 5, pleaded guilty to possessing a Grand Power G9 pistol at Lein Park, Harmonstown, on September 14, 2019. He was sentenced to six years' imprisonment, backdated to December 21, 2019. The judge noted Little's motivation was the murder of his son, Sean Little, and accepted he was not the intended triggerman. McDonnell, of New Ross, Co Wexford, also pleaded guilty to possessing the weapon at the same location and date. He received a nine-year sentence, backdated to September 16, 2019. The court highlighted McDonnell's 47 previous convictions and his guilty plea entered on the fifth day of trial. Both men were originally charged with having the weapon with intent to endanger life but convicted under Section 27A (1) of the Firearms Act. Gardaí recovered the loaded handgun under the passenger seat of an Audi, along with balaclavas, gloves, and a petrol can. Little, who drove McDonnell to the scene, made statements to gardaí expressing intent to kill the person responsible for his son's death. The judge described the case as one of "intended lethality" avoided by Garda intervention. Both defendants were remanded in custody prior to sentencing.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Six years for dad caught with gun after murder of son. Charges or matters: having a loaded semi-automatic weapon on the Dublin estate, just hours after his defence counsel Mr Bowman made an application to the non-jury court to direct a verdict of not guilty. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

September 14, 2019 Incident
May 21, 2019 Hearing Or Sentence
21 December Incident
16 September Hearing Or Sentence
September 11, 2019 Hearing Or Sentence
September 11 Other
September 12 Other
September 13 Hearing Or Sentence
September 14 Other
July 13 Hearing Or Sentence
2020-08-31 Publication

Case subjects

Edward McDonnell

Convicted Person

Charges: having a loaded semi-automatic weapon on the Dublin estate, just hours after his defence counsel Mr Bowman made an application to the non-jury court to direct a verdict of not guilty (Admitted)

Plea: Guilty

Outcome: Edward McDonnell (56) of Waterside Apartments, New Ross, Co Wexford, was today sentenced to nine years for unlawful possession of the semi-automatic weapon at the same date and location. He sentenced McDonnell to nine years' imprisonment and backdated the sentence to begin on 16 September, 2019, when McDonnell was first taken into custody on the matter.; The two men, who were both remanded in custody before today's hearing, exchanged a fist-bump before their sentencing.