A MAN was charged in court today (Sunday, June 30) with carrying a loaded semi-automatic gun, as well as ammunition, as he rode an electric scrambler bike through Limerick City.
Craig O’Donnell (27), with an address at O’Malley Park in Limerick City, was refused bail before a special sitting of Limerick District Court.
Garda Stephen McEntegart gave evidence during a bail application in court that he intercepted Mr O’Donnell at around midnight on June 27 riding an “environmentally friendly” scrambler bike and carrying a bag containing a converted 9mm Ekol semi-automatic pistol.
There was one live round in the chamber of the gun and seven more rounds of ammunition in a magazine found in the bag, Garda McEntegart told the court.
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Garda McEntegart said he had been on patrol in the Island Road area of the city when he observed Mr O’Donnell on the scrambler bike, clad in a balaclava, with a carrier bag wrapped across his body.
He told the court that he requested Mr O’Donnell to stop for the purposes of a search, at which point the accused abandoned the scrambler and fled on foot.
Garda McEntegart said that as he pursued Mr O’Donnell, he saw him attempting to throw the carrier bag away.
The Garda said he arrested Mr O’Donnell in possession of the bag containing the gun and ammunition at Bishop Street shortly before midnight on June 27.
As well as a balaclava, Mr O’Donnell was wearing black gloves and a black surgical glove over one of his hands, which Garda McEntegart said indicated that the accused was “forensically aware”.
Mr O’Donnell was charged with one count of possession of a firearm and one count of possession of a 9mm calibre ammunition.
He made no reply to the charges, Garda McEntegart said.
The Garda objected to bail, under O’Callaghan Rules and Section 2 of the Bail Act, including the “nature, degree, and seriousness” of the evidence, and that the accused is facing a potential 14-year sentence if convicted.
Garda McEntegart said he believed Mr O’Donnell would not abide by any bail conditions and that he would continue to commit further serious offences.
Under cross examination, Garda McEntegart agreed with Mr O’Donnell’s barrister, Junior Counsel, Liam Carroll BL, instructed by Darach McCarthy Solicitors, that the State had “no fingerprint or DNA evidence” linking the accused to the gun.
Garda McEntegart said he arrested Mr O’Donnell during on a routine patrol and that he was not acting on foot of any specific Garda intelligence in relation to Mr O’Donnell.
Mr Carroll said Mr O’Donnell was “entitled to the presumption of innocence, and entitled to bail, and there is no fingerprint or DNA evidence to prove he knew what was in the bag”.
Inspector Liz Kennedy, Roxboro Road Garda Station, told Judge Alec Gabbett that “the State has grave concerns of this man (Mr O’Donnell) getting bail”.
Judge Gabbett said he was satisfied to refuse bail given the seriousness evidence and nature of the objections of Gardaí.
The judge remanded Mr O’Donnell in custody to Limerick Prison to appear before Limerick District Court via video-link for directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions on Tuesday (July 2).
Flanked by two Gardaí, Mr O’Donnell hid his face from a photojournalist outside the court as he was being taken in custody from the court to Limerick Prison.