TWO teenagers have been sentenced to three years in detention for the possession of a sawn-off shotgun at Knocklisheen Road on December 2, last year. First cousins, 17-year-old David McCarthy of 87 Cliona Park, Moyross and 18-year-old Noel Stanners of 49 Shanabooly Road, Ballynanty Beg, had pleaded guilty to the possession of the weapon after gardai caught the two red handed.
Limerick Circuit Court heard from John O’Sullivan, counsel for the State, that the two were “part of organised crime in Moyross and were found in possession of the deadly weapon connected with a bloody, violent and deadly feud in the city”.
Arguments between counsel for the State, and defence counsels Brian McInerney and Mark Nicholas on the relevance of the background, were conducted before Judge Carroll Moran refused to exclude it from the case, as it was felt it was relevant to the proceedings.
The court heard that the two had the weapon, with cartridges, last year, but had pleaded guilty and accepted their responsibility in the matter.
Judge Carroll Moran said that he would give discount to the sentence imposed due to their early pleas but that an aggravating factor was that both were caught in possession of a firearm that was related to a feud in the city.
The Judge added that the “recognition of harm of guns in society” must be realised, and due to the very serious nature of the offence, detention was the only suitable way of dealing with the teenagers.
David McCarthy was sentenced to three years in detention, with three years supervision by the probation services after his release.
Noel Stanners was sentenced to three years detention, with both serving their sentences in St Patrick’s Institution.
Judge Carroll Moran lifted the reporting restrictions on minors for the case, as he said it was “very much in the public interest” to know who was in the possession of “deadly weapons”.
