Courts / Cork / Report
Man jailed for 'sinister' possession of handgun fails in appeal over 'plant' claim
Summary
Jonathan O'Sullivan, 42, was convicted of possessing a .38 ACB calibre Grand Power automatic pistol in 2021 and sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment. He denied knowing the gun was in his car when arrested in March 2020, claiming he had been paid to move an Audi A4. The trial judge, Seán Ó Donnabháin, questioned whether the defence alleged the gardaí had "planted" the weapon, a question the defence argued was prejudicial. O'Sullivan's counsel, Siobhan Lankford, clarified that the gun was not planted from outside the vehicle but repositioned when returned to the car. The Court of Appeal rejected the appeal, holding the judge's intervention was in the interests of justice and not unfair. The conviction and sentence remain unchanged.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Man jailed for 'sinister' possession of handgun fails in appeal over 'plant' claim. Procedural stage: appeal
When:
- March 23, 2020 Incident
- February 5, 2021 Incident
- 2022-07-15 Publication
Case subjects
Convicted Person
Outcome: At Cork Circuit Criminal Cork on February 5, 2021, Judge Seán Ó Donnabháin sentenced O'Sullivan to 10 years' imprisonment for possession of the .38 ACB calibre Grand Power automatic pistol, contrary to Section 27 of the Firearms Act.; Ms Lankford would later clarify that she did not believe that the gun was planted from outside the vehicle but that it was repositioned when put back in the car.
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