Man jailed for possession of gun

By Eimear Dodd

A man told gardai he was holding a 9mm submachine pistol, silencer and ammunition because he had a drugs debt of €20,000, a court has heard.

The weapon was found in a hidden compartment of a car parked at the home of Glen Dempsey (30), who was handed a two-year prison sentence.

Dempsey of Cuthbert Meadows, Clondalkin, Co. Dublin was sent forward from the District Court on signed pleas of possession of a firearm, ammunition and a silencer in suspicious circumstances on May 15, 2024 at the same address.

He told gardai that he had been threatened as he had a drugs debt of €20,000.

After hearing the facts of the case on Monday. Judge Martin Nolan adjourned the case overnight to consider sentence.

On Tuesday, Judge Nolan said Dempsey’s involvement was as the “holder of the gun” and at the lowest level of culpability.

Judge Nolan said the court inferred that Dempsey was “put upon by other parties”, but noted that a “gun such as this can only be used to kill, injure or threaten third parties”.

The judge said Dempsey’s signed guilty pleas allowed the court to depart from the presumptive mandatory minimum sentence of five years and he also took into account Dempsey’s personal circumstances and family situation.

But he said Dempsey must “suffer a prison term as this is a serious matter”.

The court heard gardai carried out a search of Dempsey’s home under warrant and while nothing of evidential value was found in the house, gardai noticed keys for a Citroen C4 parked in the driveway.

Dempsey told gardai that he’d bought the car four or five years ago and had left it there as it was banned from the road. The car was searched and when gardai couldn’t open the boot, a sniffer dog was brought to the scene.

After the sniffer dog gave an indication at the boot, the car was seized.

A hidden compartment containing a 9mm Scorpion submachine gun, a silencer and 37 rounds of live ammunition was found during a technical examination.

The gun was rusted and corroded, but fully functional and capable of automatic fire, the court heard.

Dempsey told gardai in interviews that the car did not belong to him or his partner and while he was aware there was a firearm in the vehicle, he said he didn’t know about the ammunition or the silencer.

He said he had never seen or touched the gun. Dempsey told gardai he had a drugs debt and was holding the gun for a third party.

The car is registered to another person, the court heard.

Dempsey has 12 previous convictions including for public order, road traffic and drugs offences.

Garda Joseph Melvin agreed with Cathleen Noctor SC, defending, that her client said he was under threat as he had a drugs debt of €20,000 and threats had also been made to burn down his mother’s house.

It was further accepted that there was no forensic evidence linking him to the gun and that Dempsey had not been on the garda radar before this.

Ms Noctor said her client has a history of addiction and is engaging with drug treatment supports.

She asked the court to consider the impart on her client’s family.  She said her client instructs that he looks after his five children as his partner is also engaging with support services to address her addiction issues.

She asked the court to consider that her client was under threat at the time of the offence, and was concerned for his family and mother.