Courts / Dublin / Report

"IRA bomb maker" found guilty of having explosives at Dublin hotel

Summary

A Northern Irish man, Samuel Devlin, 55, was found guilty by the Special Criminal Court of possessing an explosive substance (PETN). The court heard evidence from the Special Detective Unit that Devlin was an engineer for the IRA and a bomb‑maker. He was alleged to have been at the Finnstown House Hotel in Lucan, Dublin, where a car‑bomb had been found on the hotel grounds. During a search of a chalet adjacent to the hotel, detectives discovered 21 metres of detonator cord wrapped in a towel inside a laptop case, a laptop, a plug, an Irish passport, a Social Welfare Card and receipt, all bearing Devlin's name. Fingerprint evidence matched Devlin to the laptop and plug. The court rejected evidence from Devlin's interviews and a plastic bag incident, and accepted that Devlin possessed the PETN. He was remanded in custody until his sentencing on 6 April.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: "IRA bomb maker" found guilty of having explosives at Dublin hotel. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

• May 11, 2014 Incident
• March 31st, 2014 Incident
• May 9th, 2014 Hearing Or Sentence
• April 6th Adjournment
• 2016-03-01 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Sentence

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Read the original CNI report