Paul Beatty jailed for loaded gun possession in Dublin

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

Paul Beatty was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison at the Special Criminal Court for unlawful possession of a loaded revolver. The proceedings were reported on 15 July 2019.

Beatty admitted unlawful possession of a .38 special calibre Smith & Wesson revolver at Charlemont Parade, Dublin 3. The offence took place on 2 June 2018. Possession of five rounds of ammunition recovered from the gun’s chamber was taken into consideration. The court heard that Beatty had been under surveillance as he cycled along the Royal Canal carrying the revolver wrapped in a plastic bag.

Presiding judge Mr Justice Tony Hunt said the firearm was loaded but gave Beatty the benefit of the doubt as to whether he was its ultimate user. The judge reduced a ten-year headline sentence by 25 per cent, citing Beatty’s early guilty plea as the primary mitigating factor. The sentence was backdated to 2 June 2018, when Beatty went into custody. Judge Patricia Ryan and Judge Ann Ryan sat with Mr Justice Hunt.