Courts / Dublin / Report
'Trusted' IRA man loses appeal against sentence
Summary
Jonathan Hawthorn, a 47‑year‑old former IRA member, was convicted by the Special Criminal Court for membership in the Irish Republican Army after an FBI agent uncovered a Dublin plot to purchase a grenade and Semtex online. Hawthorn had received a fake DHL delivery of the items, which were disguised as Play Doh, and was arrested at St James Hospital in September 2016. The court imposed a headline sentence of six and a half years, later reduced to five years when mitigating factors were considered. Hawthorn appealed, arguing the sentence was excessive and that he was not in a senior leadership role. His counsel cited the court's sentencing parameters, noting that the maximum term for membership is eight years and that a term of 64 months to eight years is reserved for the most serious cases. The Court of Appeal rejected the appeal, affirming the sentence as appropriate for a "significant player" in the organisation.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: 'Trusted' IRA man loses appeal against sentence. Procedural stage: appeal. Findings: Found guilty
When:
- October 2018 Hearing Or Sentence
- September 14, 2016 Incident
- 2020-09-08 Publication
Why: " Mr Justice Birmingham said the Special Criminal Court had been entitled to conclude that Hawthorn was "a significant player" because of his role in acquiring what he had believed was explosive material sources over the Dark Net. CNI source report
Case subjects
Appellant
Finding: Found guilty
Outcome: Found guilty; Lawyers for Hawthorn, of Ballintyre Downs, Ballinteer, Dublin 16, claimed the headline sentence imposed on him by the Special Criminal Court in October 2018 was excessive and one which was usually reserved for people involved in a leadership role in an illegal organisation. Kerida Naidoo SC, for Hawthorn, today said the headline prison sentence of six and a half years imposed by the Special Criminal Court, which was reduced to five years when mitigating factors were taken into account, indicated the court believed his offence was at the upper end of the scale in terms of seriousness.
Places mentioned
- The Special Criminal Court
- Special Criminal Court
- Court of Appeal
- St James Hospital
- Dolphin House
Topics
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