Courts / Dublin / Report

Bag of weapons including assault rifle found by builders

Summary

During a demolition at a Dublin building site, a workman discovered a black bag containing 65 rounds of ammunition and four firearms, including a 7.62 calibre assault rifle, two revolvers and a semi‑automatic pistol. Robert Smullen, 35, of Halliday Road, Dublin 7, was arrested two months later. He pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possession of ammunition and the assault rifle at waste‑ground in O'Devaney Gardens on 14 August 2018. Smullen, who has 17 prior convictions and is already serving an eight‑year sentence with the final 18 months suspended, was sentenced to two years in prison, to be served consecutively to his existing term. The court noted his cooperation, forensic evidence linking him to the weapons, and his ongoing rehabilitation efforts in custody. The sentence was imposed despite his defence's argument that the discovery was fortuitous and that he was vulnerable due to drug debt and addiction.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Bag of weapons including assault rifle found by builders. Charges or matters: possession of ammunition and a 7.62 calibre assault rifle at waste-ground in O'Devaney Gardens, Dublin 7, on August 14, 2018. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

• August 14, 2018 Incident
• 2020-10-13 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Drugs Stage Sentence Violent Crime

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Read the original CNI report