Paul Coffey jailed for firearm offences at Central Criminal Court

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

Paul Coffey was jailed for firearm offences at the Central Criminal Court on 18 April 2023, when Mr Justice Paul Burns imposed a six-year sentence with the final 12 months suspended for three years on the possession charge. The sentence for reckless discharge of a firearm was three years, running concurrently.

Coffey pleaded guilty on 13 March 2023 to discharging a firearm while reckless as to whether anyone would be injured and to possessing a firearm in circumstances giving rise to a reasonable inference that it was not held for a lawful purpose. The charges related to Long Pavement, Watch House Cross, Limerick, on 11 June 2020; an attempted murder charge concerning Alan Murphy had been dropped.

The sentences were backdated to August 2021, when Coffey first went into custody. On release, he was required to work with the probation services and keep the peace. The defence said the firearm discharged accidentally as Coffey tried to remove it from Mr Murphy’s car; prosecution evidence linked Coffey to the shooting through CCTV and firearms residue.