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Dublin man who left loaded shotgun in wardrobe jailed for four years

Summary

James McMahon, 23, was sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court after pleading guilty to possession of a loaded shotgun on September 11, 2013, and multiple driving offences in Lucan, Dublin, on April 5, 2013. The driving charges included endangerment, dangerous driving, failing to stop for gardaí, driving while disqualified, and driving while uninsured. Judge Martin Nolan sentenced McMahon to seven years in prison, with three years suspended, stating that the dangerous driving offences were taken into account. Prosecution evidence indicated McMahon left the Beretta shotgun in his girlfriend's home after babysitting their son; he ignored her requests to remove it and warned her not to touch it because it was loaded. His home had previously been shot at, and his family was later evacuated when his house was set on fire. Defence counsel argued McMahon armed himself in a misguided attempt to protect his family from perceived threats. The court noted McMahon had 63 previous convictions, mostly for road traffic offences. The matter was finalised with the imposition of the custodial sentence.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Dublin man who left loaded shotgun in wardrobe jailed for four years. Charges or matters: possession of the gun on September 11, 2013; endangerment, dangerous driving, failing to stop a vehicle for gardaí, driving while disqualified and driving while uninsured in the Lucan area of Dublin on April 5, 2013. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

• September 11, 2013 Incident
• April 5, 2013 Incident
• April 2013 Incident
• 2015-02-23 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Road Traffic Stage Sentence

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Read the original CNI report