Wicklow man accused of sending gun video threatening stepfather refused bail
The Wicklow PeopleA Wicklow man accused of sending a video of a firearm while making threats to kill his stepfather was refused bail at Bray District Court.
Conor Kavanagh (28), of no fixed abode, formerly of Carnew, Co Wicklow, appeared before the court on charges of threatening to kill and possession of drugs for the purpose of sale and supply.
The defendant faces two counts of threatening to kill his stepfather and one count of possession of drugs for sale and supply.
Detective Garda Robert Whelan of Baltinglass Garda Station told the court that on January 11 gardaí executed a search warrant at the accused’s family home, after receiving a report that Mr Kavanagh had allegedly sent a video of a gun to his mother and made multiple threats to shoot his stepfather.
During the search, gardaí recovered drugs with an estimated value of €2,800, including heroin, cocaine and marijuana. Three mobile phones were also seized.
The court heard that Mr Kavanagh is currently on bail in relation to an unrelated matter.
Det Whelan said the accused, by his own admission, has an addiction to “all types of drugs”.
The court was told that Mr Kavanagh was arrested at 11.30am and was not certified fit for interview until 8.30pm, with gardaí alleging it took several hours for him to sober up while in custody. He was monitored by the in-house doctor during this time.
A video was played in court, with Det Whelan stating that Mr Kavanagh can allegedly be heard saying: “It was €300, now it’s €500, get the fucking €500.”
It was further alleged that a message underneath the video stated: “This is for Eddie,” referring to his stepfather.
Det Whelan also told the court that in the video a round of ammunition could allegedly be seen and heard hitting the floor of Mr Kavanagh’s bedroom. In his professional opinion, he said, the weapon shown was a firearm.
Armed support was required during the search, although the court heard that no gun or ammunition was recovered.
Counsel for the defence, Gregory Murphy BL, questioned whether gardaí had accessed the seized mobile phones. The court heard that Mr Kavanagh refused to provide gardaí with his PIN numbers.
Mr Murphy told the court that his client has complied with existing bail conditions, has a history of appearing before the courts, and that his girlfriend was willing to provide him with an address. He also said Mr Kavanagh was willing to provide a contact phone number within 24 hours and to lodge a €1,000 surety.
The prosecution objected to bail under the O’Callaghan principles.
Mr Murphy said his client maintains the video was AI-generated, has no previous history of violence, and is entitled to the presumption of innocence.
Judge David Kennedy refused bail, stating: “I have seen the video and the gunmanship isn’t particularly skilful. The handling of the gun is not generated by artificial intelligence.”
Mr Kavanagh consented to a four-week remand and is due to appear next before Arklow District Court on February 11.