Man had bullets and pepper spray in Laois

A  man admitted having cartridges, a bullet and pepper spray at a house in Portarlington.

Mark Dunne, 44, of 19 Ballymorris Green, Portarlington, admitted having the items at a property on Patrick Street, Portarlington, Co Offaly on December 19, 2022. 

Noting they were firearms charges, Judge Cephas Power said the nature of the charges would be more suited to the circuit court. 

Garda Sergeant JJ Kirby said the DPP had directed that the case be heard in the district court. 

Solicitor Philip Meagher said his client was pleading guilty. 

“The items involved were two old cartridges in old condition and there was one singe bullet from a .22 rifle,” he explained.

He said a can of pepper spray was also located in a bedside locker. 

Sgt Kirby said the items were found when a property was searched under a drugs warrant. He said the items were located and the defendant made admissions to possessing the items without a licence.

Sgt Kirby said the man had one previous conviction and it was for “a similar type” of offence back in 1998. 

Mr Meagher said “that involved the possession of a pen knife. It wasn’t ballistics”. He said his client was a qualified carpenter who had suffered a serious accident a number of years ago and was on job seekers allowance. 

“At that particular time he was living with a gent who would have been of interest to Gardai,” said Mr Meagher. 

He said the defendant had found the cartridges and bullet during the refurbishment of a house. 

“He simply thought, to use his own phrase, ‘they looked cool’,” said Mr Meagher. 

The defendant had no weapon to discharge the ammunition, he explained. 

Mr Meagher said the man had bought the pepper spray ten years earlier from somebody who got it at a market. 

On hearing the evidence, Judge Power ordered the destruction of the items. He bound the defendant to the peace for three years in lieu of a six month prison sentence.