Andrew Carey
AMID heightened security including up to 15 armed members of the Regional Support Unit, sentencing in the case of a man found guilty of a tiger kidnapping in August 2012, had to be adjourned this evening as the issue of a suspended sentence arose during the hearing.
Zachary Coughlan Ryan, 34, was found guilty in October by a jury of the false imprisonment of two men where he was a member of a gang that tried to extort €500,000 from the family of a post mistress.
With a former address at Brennan’s Row, Cathedral Place, Coughlan Ryan was one of three assailants who bound and gagged the two victims and held them captive while efforts were made to extract money from the mother of the teenage victims.
The mother of Stephen Cusack is a post mistress in Garryowen and the gang looked for the money to be paid over for the safe release of the victims.
However Stephen Cusack made good his escape from the abductors after his friend was released earlier.
During the four week trial, evidence was heard of how the men were taken from a house in Castletroy to remote parts of county Limerick and threatened with guns and knives.
During the sentencing hearing this Friday amid the large security presence, Brendan Nix SC asked the court why so many Gardai were present for the case, “what are they going to do, shoot my client in court” he asked.
Details of the case were given by detective sergeant Ronan McDonagh before prosecution counsel for the State outlined the guilty man’s previous convictions including a 15 year sentence in the UK for armed robbery.
The 34-year-old also has convictions for escape from lawful custody, assaulting prisoners, producing knives and assaulting prison officers.
However Mr O’Sullivan told the court that Coughlan Ryan was sentenced in November 2011 for four counts of assault including that of two prison officers and a prisoner at Cork prison. He was sentenced to three years with the final two suspended.
An application pursuant to section 99 of the Criminal Justice act therefore arose and Coughlan Ryan had to be returned to the circuit court in Cork for the judge to consider activating the sentence.
Before being taken back to Portlaoise prison, the 34-year-old took to the witness box and read out a hand written note.
In it he said that as a Republican voice, he would not recognise the court as corrupt governments existed both north and south of the border. He concluded that he did not recognise the authority of the court.
Coughlan Ryan was remanded in custody pending the hearing and completion of the suspended sentence from Cork. He will then be returned to Limerick for sentencing to resume in the tiger kidnapping.
