Nikita Murtagh gets suspended sentence for gun possession

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

Nikita Murtagh was sentenced to three years in prison at the Special Criminal Court, with the outstanding two years and five months suspended. She was released from custody on the basis of time served. The proceedings were reported on 19 February 2018.

Murtagh pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a semi-automatic pistol. The offence occurred on 19 July.

Murtagh handed a shoebox containing the loaded gun to a man at Connolly Station in Dublin. Gardaí and her defence team said she had been used by devious people to move the gun from Dublin to Belfast. The suspension was attributed to her personal circumstances.

Mr Justice Tony Hunt said the three-year sentence was appropriate and that suspending the remainder on the basis of time served should not be seen as a precedent. He said the three judges believed Murtagh’s loyalty should now be to her young child.