Courts / Dublin / Report

Pair caught wearing fake beard disguises are jailed for handgun possession

Date
2016-07-01

Stage
Sentence

Primary locality
Tallaght

County
Dublin

Summary

Two Dublin men, Michael Finlay, 36, and Dean Byrne, 24, were sentenced by the Special Criminal Court to five years' imprisonment for unlawfully possessing a loaded 9mm semi‑automatic pistol and its magazine, as well as various rounds of 9mm ammunition, at Glenshane Crescent, Tallaght on 5 June 2014. The weapons were found in a stolen Renault Kangoo van that the men were in when Detective Sergeant Joseph Finnegan approached. Both men were wearing disguises of fake beards, hats and glasses; Finlay also wore an An Post jacket. The detectives, acting under Sections 18, 19 and 19(a) of the Criminal Justice Act, questioned the men about the firearm, ammunition, van, disguise and jacket, but neither responded. Both pleaded not guilty, yet the judge noted they had not opposed any evidence and that the offences were "completely unexplained." Finlay's sentence was back‑dated to 5 June 2014 and Byrne's to 8 May of the same year.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Pair caught wearing fake beard disguises are jailed for handgun possession. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

June 5th, 2014 Incident
May 8th Hearing Or Sentence
2016-07-01 Publication

Why: The judge said that although this was not a plea, some allowance must be given for such behaviour because it shortened the trial. CNI source report