David Cullen sentenced for firearm possession after murder charge dropped

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

David Cullen was sentenced to seven years, with three and a half years suspended, for firearm possession at the Special Criminal Court, reported on 10 March 2017.

His murder charge was dropped after the Director of Public Prosecutions accepted his guilty plea to possessing a firearm on the day of Peter Butterly’s shooting.

The court said Cullen’s evidence against Edward McGrath and Sharif Kelly required significant independent corroboration, and was not sufficient on its own to support convictions.

McGrath and Kelly were found guilty of Butterly’s murder and remanded in custody until 7 April for sentencing.