Courts / Dublin / Report
Darren Nolan avoids jail for shooting himself in face
Summary
Darren Nolan, aged 28, was given a two‑year suspended sentence after pleading guilty to recklessly discharging a firearm and to possession of heroin and cocaine for sale or supply. He also pleaded guilty to making a false statement to gardaí. The case arose when Nolan was found with a handgun and over €16,000 of illegal drugs in his bedroom. He initially told police he had been shot by three men wearing balaclavas, but later admitted he had shot himself in the face with a blank‑firing gun he had purchased online. The judge noted Nolan's vulnerability, his history of alcohol abuse, and his progress in addressing addiction, and ordered him to attend residential treatment as part of the suspended sentence. No further convictions or outcomes were mentioned in the article.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Darren Nolan avoids jail for shooting himself in face. Charges or matters: recklessly discharging a firearm and to possession of heroin and cocaine for sale or supply at his home on May 8, 2018; making a false statement to gardaí at the Mater Hospital, Eccles Street, Dublin 7, also on May 8, 2018. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- May 8, 2018 Incident
- 2021-06-11 Publication
Why: Nolan, of Shangan Green, Ballymun, Dublin, later told gardai that he made up the story about being shot because he "did not want people to think he is a lunatic". CNI source report
Case subjects
Accused
Charges: recklessly discharging a firearm and to possession of heroin and cocaine for sale or supply at his home on May 8, 2018; making a false statement to gardaí at the Mater Hospital, Eccles Street, Dublin 7, also on May 8, 2018 (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: Credit: Collins) A drugs accused who claimed he had been shot by a gang, only for his mother to tell gardai he had in fact shot himself in the face, has has been given a two-year suspended sentence. She handed down a two-year sentence and suspended it on a number of conditions, including that Nolan attend residential treatment.
Places mentioned
- Dublin
- Dublin Circuit Criminal Court
- Mater Hospital
- Eccles Street
- Dublin
Topics
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