A FATHER-of-three who told gardai that components from a firearm scattered around his home belonged to a toy gun he was trying to fix has been jailed for seven years at the Special Criminal Court.
Presiding judge Mr Justice Paul Butler said that the non-jury court regarded the possession of firearms as a "most serious offence" and had to impose a minimum sentence on Declan Geraghty (31), as he had a previous conviction for possession of a sawn-off shotgun and ammunition in 2004.
He said the fact that Geraghty had attempted to scatter the gun components and told gardai they were parts of a child's gun showed he "clearly had guilty knowledge about the matter".
Mr Justice Butler said the court considered the appropriate sentence to be one of seven years but there was "no question" of suspending any part of the term as the court had no evidence as to Geraghty's future conduct.
He said the court had said "time and again" it would suspend portions of a sentence on a credible promise but not on a "mere hope" which, along with the knowledge of Geraghty's previous conviction, was all it was offered in this case.
ARRESTED
Geraghty, of Bawnlea Crescent, Tallaght, had pleaded guilty to the possession of a 9mm FEG model P9 pistol at his home on September 26, 2012.
He was arrested as part of a garda investigation in to the activities of dissident republicans and was also charged with membership of an unlawful organisation styling itself the Irish Republican Army, otherwise Oglaigh na hEireann, otherwise the IRA on the same date.
Counsel for the prosecution, Tara Burns, told the Special Criminal Court that the State wished to enter a "Nolle Prosequi", in other words not proceed with this charge.
Detective Sergeant Liam Archbold told Ms Burns that gardai who raided Geraghty's home discovered part of a gun handle in a vase on the hearth in the sitting room, the opposite part of the handle on the floor, a handgun magazine under the couch and a slide release mechanism and gun trigger on the couch.
He said that officers also found a black ballistic vest hanging from the sitting room door, a pair of black gloves on the sitting room floor and numerous screws.
