A LIMERICK criminal has been jailed for eight years after he abducted a teenager at gunpoint and beat him with a hammer in a dispute over a “half bar” of cocaine.
Michael Kirby (33) of Upper Marion Avenue, Janesboro pleaded guilty to the false imprisonment of an 18-year-old teenager in September 2015.
Judge Tom O’Donnell was told that Kirby arrived to the victim’s house and demanded payment of a €150 drug debt. The victim agreed to go with Kirby to clear his name.
Although he saw a claw hammer in the footwell of Kirby’s car, the victim said he thought nothing of it.
When they arrived at another man’s house on the outskirts of the city, the victim was locked inside Kirby’s car while he went inside. Kirby returned with another man about ten minutes later and the victim was given “an eight of coke” to hide up his sleeve.
He was then taken to a field near Janesboro, out of sight of CCTV cameras, where he was told to divide up the cocaine. Kirby then attacked him and hit him around the legs with the claw hammer.
Kirby had been shouting at the victim about a ”half bar of coke” he claimed went missing.
He then went to strike the victim on the head with the hammer but missed.
A handgun was then produced by Kirby who put it to the victim’s head as he begged not to be shot.
The victim was told to ring a friend and to get the missing cocaine back but then he heard two clicks and, but for the lack of bullets, he would be dead, Judge O’Donnell noted in his judgement.
The victim was then taken to a nearby house before being released.
Kirby, who has previous convictions for possession knives, robbery, road traffic and drug matters, also has a conviction for assaulting a young teenager in 2009.
He had only just been released from prison when he carried out this assault.
Imposing the eight year sentence, Judge O’Donnell said it was a “terrorising ordeal where a claw hammer and a handgun were produced.
“The fact that there was no bullets in the gun is of little value to the terrifying ordeal faced by the victim,” he added.
