This taxi driver had the devil's own business in getting his car back after it was found to be used in a criminal act:
'Listen to your mother', judge advises gangster jailed for having gun
Mum's home burnt out after son's arrest
Jake Kearney
Jake Kearney
Paul Neilan
Fri 31 Jul 2020 at 02:30
A member of an organised crime gang that was planning an attack on a rival north Dublin faction has been jailed for five years after he was caught with a loaded handgun.
Jake Kearney (25), of Coolock Drive, Dublin 17, pleaded guilty on May 5 at the non-jury Special Criminal Court to unlawful possession of a Luger Grand Power semi-automatic pistol at Oscar Traynor Road, Santry, last October 30.
Presiding judge Mr Justice Tony Hunt noted yesterday that Kearney's mother, whose home was burnt-out after his arrest, was being "punished for the crime of her son" in what he had previously described as a "desperate situation".
Detective Garda James Doolan of the National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau had told Maddie Grant, prosecuting, that confidential information had alerted gardai to the handover of a firearm.
This was to happen outside the Coachman's Inn on the Swords Road for the purpose of being used in a feud between organised crime gangs in north Dublin.
Footwell
Det Gda Doolan told Ms Grant that, on arriving at the scene at 9.10pm on October 30 along with a number of other garda units, he saw a silver-coloured Skoda Octavia taxi with three males in it.
He observed the rear passenger walk toward the unmarked patrol car and said he identified Kearney, who was wearing a black hoodie and tracksuit bottoms, as he passed the driver's side.
The witness said he observed Kearney on his phone, and added that he disappeared out of sight for a few minutes before returning to speak with the driver of the Octavia.
Gardai followed the Octavia to Oscar Traynor Road, where they stopped it and observed a black handgun in the footwell behind the driver's seat.
Kearney, who was wearing latex gloves, was arrested and taken to Ballymun Garda Station.
The gloves and Kearney's mobile phone were seized along with the handgun, which was functional. Eight bullets were found in the magazine.
"Mr Kearney would have been a trusted member of this organised crime group, and the information we received was that the firearm was to be used in an imminent attack against a rival faction," Det Gda Doolan said at a previous hearing.
"But I have no information on whether or not Mr Kearney was to use the firearm himself, just that it was to be used."
Mr Justice Hunt said the maximum sentence was 14 years, but in Kearney's case the headline term was eight years. He said the court would discount 25pc of the sentence for the early guilty plea.
Judge Hunt said the gun was "loaded and ready for use and actual harm was only prevented by the gardai".
He said it was reasonable to take into consideration that it was "far more likely that Mr Kearney was facilitating the movement of the gun for use by another".
Mr Justice Hunt noted that Kearney's mother was "a hard- working woman", who intended to move from the area, which would give Kearney an opportunity to get away from childhood associates.
The judge suspended the final year of the sentence, telling Kearney: "It's for a specific purpose, to make better use of yourself."
Sentencing him to six years with the final year suspended, he ordered Kearney to live with his mother for two years on his release and to engage with the Probation Service.
He told Kearney to "listen to your mother in future".
