Courts / Dublin / Report

Accused refused to account for presence of handguns in home, trial told

Date
2016-04-19

Stage
Charge Or Pretrial

Primary locality
Dublin

County
Dublin

Summary

In a Special Criminal Court hearing, Dublin resident Pierce Moran, 59, faced charges of unlawful possession of multiple semi‑automatic pistols, a silencer, a sawn‑off shotgun, various magazines and assorted ammunition, all allegedly found during a Special Detective Unit search of his East Wall flat on 15 November 2014. During a garda interview on 17 November 2014, Moran refused to explain the presence of the firearms and ammunition, citing his solicitor's advice. The court ruled the interview evidence admissible. Moran entered not‑guilty pleas for each of the three charges. The prosecution argued that the search proved Moran's knowledge and control of the items, citing lack of evidence of a second bedroom and absence of fingerprints. The defence contended that no evidence linked Moran to the firearms. The trial was set to resume on 27 April 2016.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Accused refused to account for presence of handguns in home, trial told. Charges or matters: the unlawful possession of various semi-automatic pistols, including an 8mm Knall calibre Valtro model AP29, a 9mm short calibre CZ model 83, a 9mm calibre Makarov PM and a 9mm short calibre Baikal model IZH79-8, as well as a silencer suitable for use with the Makarov pistol and a 12-gauge Beretta model A.300 semi-automatic, sawn-off shotgun at Church Road, East Wall, Dublin 3 on November 15th, 2014; the possession of assorted ammunition, also at the same address and on the same date. Procedural stage: charge_or_pretrial

When:

November 15th, 2014 Incident
November 17th, 2014 Hearing Or Sentence
Wednesday, April 27th Hearing Or Sentence
2016-04-19 Publication

Case subjects

Pierce Moran

Accused

Charges: the unlawful possession of various semi-automatic pistols, including an 8mm Knall calibre Valtro model AP29, a 9mm short calibre CZ model 83, a 9mm calibre Makarov PM and a 9mm short calibre Baikal model IZH79-8, as well as a silencer suitable for use with the Makarov pistol and a 12-gauge Beretta model A.300 semi-automatic, sawn-off shotgun at Church Road, East Wall, Dublin 3 on November 15th, 2014; the possession of assorted ammunition, also at the same address and on the same date (Alleged Or Contested)