Wicklow man who threw imitation gun over wall after spotting gardaí given jail term
The Wicklow PeopleA Bray man, who was a teenager when he threw an imitation firearm over a wall after spotting gardaí, has been sentenced to two years in prison, with the final six months suspended.
A father-of-one, Jamie O’Connor (21), of 15 Ballywaltrim Heights, Bray, Co. Wicklow, pleaded guilty at Wicklow Circuit Court to a charge of possession of a firearm in suspicious circumstances. The incident took place on Vevay Road, Bray, on April 8, 2020, when O’Connor was a minor.
Detective Garda Aisling Kelly, of Bray Garda Station, testified that, while on patrol and stuck in traffic in 2020, she spotted two males walking along the road. She noticed the pair, who were both teenagers at the time, crossing to the opposite side before stopping them and searching them under the Misuse of Drugs Act. No drugs were found on their persons.
A man later came forward to tell gardaí that a firearm had been thrown over his wall while he was playing with his young children.
Det Gda Kelly said she had later obtained CCTV footage from a passing bus, which showed O’Connor throwing the firearm over the wall after spotting gardaí.
The weapon was later identified as an imitation firearm and sent for forensic examination, where O’Connor’s DNA was found on it.
He was arrested on December 8, 2021, and interviewed in the presence of a responsible adult, as he had been underage at the time of the incident.
Gda Kelly told the court that during her nine years stationed in Bray, she had become familiar with O’Connor, who is well known to local gardaí. She added that he was involved in the sale and personal use of drugs in Bray.
Defence counsel, Edmund Sweetman BL, instructed by Joe Maguire of Maguire McNiece Solicitors, told the court that his client was a child at the time of the offence, noting that he was charged only weeks after his 18th birthday.
The delay was explained by the fact that O’Connor was serving a sentence in a juvenile detention facility and later entered a residential rehabilitation programme.
Mr Sweetman noted that some airsoft guns are legal without a permit, but Gda Kelly described the weapon as “heavy and realistic” rather than “toylike”.
Judge Patrick Quinn said: “If it was pointed at you, you wouldn’t know it wasn’t real.”
During examination of the firearm, it was found that the gas cylinder storing nitrous was damaged and missing a key nut that held it in place.
The court was told that O’Connor now has a young child and a stable relationship with his partner, and that “there is hope for him ahead”.
His counsel said that O’Connor’s drug addiction was fundamental to his offending. The court also heard that O’Connor had previously worked on building sites, and holds a valid Safe Pass, but is currently out of work due to a leg injury.
Before sentencing, Judge Quinn commended “the excellent work done by gardaí during the investigation”.
He sentenced O’Connor to two years imprisonment, with the final six months suspended on the condition that he engage with the Probation Service upon release.
A destruction order was granted for the firearm.