A MAN has been acquitted of threatening to kill or cause serious harm to a Garda Detective serving in Limerick City, but convicted of possessing drugs and resisting the same Garda from executing the course of his lawful duties.
Kieran ‘Bunny’ Barry (51), with an address at Galvone Road, Kennedy Park, denied threatening to kill or harm seriously Detective Garda Dean Landers on May 3, 2019.
This Wednesday afternoon a jury of eight women and four men found Mr Barry not guilty of making the threat. The verdict was agreed on by 10 of the 12 member jury, the court heard.
On Tuesday, the jury acquitted Mr Barry of possession of cannabis for sale or supply, but found him guilty of possessing cannabis on the same date. Mr Barry was found also guilty of resisting Detective Landers in executing his lawful duties on the same night in question.
During the trial, Detective Landers gave evidence that he was concerned for himself and his family alleging that Mr Barry had threatened to kill him, his children, and his mother.
“I was worried, I’ve been in Limerick 13 years and a Garda for 15 years, but, he looked me in the eyes and told me he was going to murder me, and I 100 per cent believed him,” Detective Landers said.
Detective Landers and a colleague had responded to a call of a disturbance outside Mr Barry’s home on the night in question. Mr Barry became abusive and asked Garda Landers to fight, the Garda claimed.
“He told me he was going to murder me … He said he would bury me somewhere where no one would find me,” Detective Landers alleged.
“He told me, ‘I know where you live, you lanky prick’, he was clenching his fists and he told me he was going to give me a slow death and that he would give my kids an even slower one.
“He said that once he was finished with me, he was going to call to my mother and he was going to f**k her and strangle her.”
When more Gardaí arrived at the scene, Mr Barry ran into his home, locked the front door, and fled through the rear of the property, Garda Landers said.
Later on that night, Gardaí observed Mr Barry sitting on a couch in the front living room of his home and they entered the property and arrested him.
Detective Landers disagreed under cross examination by Mr Barry’s barristers, Andrew Sexton SC and Amy Nix BL, instructed by solicitor Sarah Ryan, that Gardaí had “beaten” and “dragged” Mr Barry out of his house while he was being arrested.
Following his arrest, Mr Barry told Gardaí in interview that he “had words” with Detective Landers and that he had asked Detective Landers to fight, but he denied making threats against him and his family.
Mr Barry told Gardaí the allegation was “b*****ks” and “a trumped up crock of s***e”.
On Wednesday, after the jury delivered its verdict acquitting him of the threat charge, Mr Barry smiled and made a thumbs up gesture to members of his family who were sitting in the courtroom.
Mr Barry was remanded into custody to appear before Limerick Circuit Court for sentencing on the charges of drugs possession and resisting Gardaí on October 21.
