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Sentence over seizure of €1m in Kinahan cash 'too lenient', State says
Summary
In September 2018, Bernard Joyce, 45, of Newtown, Beauparc, Slane, was found guilty of possessing €911,600, the proceeds of criminal conduct, under the Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Act 2010. Garda Stephen Burke described how the cash was concealed in two gear bags inside a hollow section of a camper van, wrapped in brown sellotape and surrounded by onions to deter a sniffer dog. The cash was recovered at Arnestown, Foulksmills, Co Wexford. Joyce pleaded guilty and was sentenced to five years' imprisonment, with the final two years suspended on the condition of a €200 bond while in prison and after release for two years. The DPP appealed, arguing the sentence was "unduly lenient" and that the judge had not adequately considered the amount of cash, its concealment, and Joyce's attempt to flee. The Court of Appeal has reserved its judgement.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Sentence over seizure of €1m in Kinahan cash 'too lenient', State says. Charges or matters: possessing €911,600, which were the proceeds of criminal conduct, at Arnestown, Foulksmills, Co Wexford, on September 22, 2018, under the Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Act 2010. Procedural stage: appeal
When:
- September 22, 2018 Incident
- 2020-09-08 Publication
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: possessing €911,600, which were the proceeds of criminal conduct, at Arnestown, Foulksmills, Co Wexford, on September 22, 2018, under the Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Act 2010 (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: The judge said the headline sentence would be seven years but he would impose a sentence of five years in prison with the final two years suspended for two years on the defendant entering a bond of €200 to keep the peace while in prison and subsequently on his release for two years. Counsel for Joyce, Philip Sheahan SC, said that money laundering offences can range from 14 years imprisonment to a fully suspended sentence and there was a very good reason why such a wide discretion was in place. "The gravity of the offending can vary between the very serious and less serious to the minimum," he added.
Places mentioned
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