Conan Murphy jailed for possessing explosives in Dublin

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Conan Murphy was jailed for possessing explosive substances at the Special Criminal Court in Dublin. The proceedings were reported on 10 December 2016.

The offence concerned explosive substances at Aghaboys, Mount Pleasant, County Louth, on 22 May 2010. Murphy pleaded guilty before going to trial.

The court sentenced him to seven and a half years in prison, with 18 months suspended, backdated to 1 January 2016. Mr Justice Tony Hunt presided with Judge Martin Nolan and Judge Gerard Haughton.

The report said the court found materials recovered from a shed after Garda surveillance formed part of a bomb. It recorded the potential for death and destruction, while noting that Garda special-unit intervention prevented completion.

The guilty plea and Murphy’s lack of previous convictions were identified as mitigating factors. The report also said his earlier conviction had been successfully appealed and a retrial ordered.