Courts / Dublin / Report
Six years for 'terrifying' court siege with fake pistol and bomb
Summary
In a Dublin court siege on 20 December 2018, 47‑year‑old Edmond Dunican held a judge, a barrister and his estranged wife hostage with a fake pistol and a hoax pipe bomb. He threatened the barrister, Lisa Daly, with the imitation firearm and wore a device that looked like a bomb around his neck, which he claimed was a pipe bomb he had made at home. The judge, Judge Patricia Ryan, repeatedly urged him to drop the gun and attempted to defuse the situation. A Garda negotiator persuaded Dunican to surrender the gun after a 17‑minute siege that saw the court building evacuated and surrounded by armed Garda units. Dunican pleaded guilty to carrying an imitation firearm with criminal intent. Judge Ryan sentenced him to six years' imprisonment, suspended the final two years on the condition of good behaviour and no contact with the victims, and back‑dated the sentence to the day of the offence.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Six years for 'terrifying' court siege with fake pistol and bomb. Charges or matters: one count of carrying an imitation firearm with criminal intent at a Dublin City courthouse on December 20, 2018. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- December 2018 Incident
- December 20, 2018 Incident
- 2021-01-26 Publication
Why: The judge told gardaí that Dunican told her she could leave but that she remained "in order to defuse the situation as best she could". CNI source report
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: one count of carrying an imitation firearm with criminal intent at a Dublin City courthouse on December 20, 2018 (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: Judge Ryan reduced a headline sentence of eleven years to eight years after noting a number of mitigating factors including Dunican's remorse and his state of mind at the time. Judge Ryan backdated the sentence to the day of the offence, as Dunican has been in custody since then.
Places mentioned
- Dublin
- Dublin Circuit Criminal Court
- Stadium Business Park
- Dublin
- Dublin City
- Dublin City courthouse
Topics
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