COURTS: South East man was dragged from car by armed garda after handgun discovery
The trial of a Wexford man accused of having a firearm with intent to endanger life has heard that a garda discovered a loaded handgun under the passenger seat of a car the day before the defendant was forcibly removed from the vehicle.
The Special Criminal Court also heard on Tuesday that a number of items including two baseball hats, two balaclavas and some gloves fell from the accused's lap upon arrest and a red petrol can as well as a long-handled lighter were found in the car.
Edward McDonnell (55) of Waterside Apartments, New Ross in Co Wexford, has pleaded not guilty to being in unlawful possession of a semi-automatic pistol namely a Grand Power G9, and having the weapon with intent to endanger life at Lein Park, Harmonstown, Dublin 5 on September 14, 2019.
Garda Joseph Enright told prosecution counsel, Sean Gillane S, that he was tasked with observing the activities around Lein Road in Harmonstown on September 11, 2019 and in particular to look out for a silver Toyota Avensis vehicle. Gda Enright said he observed Stephen Little driving a silver Avensis very slowly down Lein Road that morning. The witness said the front seat passenger in the car was unknown to him at the time.
Last month, Stephen Little (46) of Kilbarron Avenue, Kilmore, Dublin 5, pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a Grand Power G9 semi-automatic pistol at Lein Park, Harmonstown, Dublin 5, on 14 September 2019.
Under cross-examination, Gda Enright agreed with defence counsel Michael Bowman SC, for Mr McDonnell, that he was part of an intelligence-led operation because of serious concern that there was serious criminality around the Dublin 5 area.
Inspector Ken Donnellan testified that he was requested to put a surveillance operation in place in north Dublin because someone with an address at Lein Road was the target of a criminal organisation.
Following this, Garda Jonathan O'Leary told prosecution counsel Mr Gillane that he was on duty in the Harmonstown area on September 12, 2019 when he observed Stephen Little drive a silver Avensis down Springdale Road in Raheny with another man in the passenger seat. The witness said he had been previously tasked with trying to find an Audi car and saw such a vehicle "suspiciously parked" on a high footpath at Lein Park. "It was half on the footpath and the driver's door was slightly ajar," he said.
The court has heard that gardai became concerned with the possibility that a navy coloured Audi vehicle might be available for use in a criminal operation and a search had commenced in north Dublin for it.
Gda O'Leary testified that he returned to Lein Park the following day and searched the vehicle by gaining entry through the driver's door, which was slightly ajar. The witness said he observed a long-handled lighter in the centre console, a red petrol can behind the passenger seat in the footwell area and a few loose surgical gloves. Gda O'Leary said he also found a black handgun under the passenger seat with 12 rounds of ammunition within the magazine, which he removed to make the handgun safe.
Garda Phillip Byrne told Mr Gillane that he was tasked with putting together an operation in and around Pearse House in Dublin 2 on September 14. The witness agreed that this operation was concerned with the same person having an association with an address at Lein Road and it appeared that this person also stayed in Pearse House.
At 3pm on September 14, Gda Byrne said he saw three men in a silver Toyota Avensis driving towards Hanover Street East. The witness said that one of the males, who he now knows to be Mr McDonnell, got out of the passenger side of the car and walked in the opposite direction. He observed the same car later drive to Lein Park and Mr McDonnell was in the back, said Gda Byrne. The Avensis car parked "nose to nose" with the Audi car which was also parked up on Lein Road at the time and the defendant got out of the vehicle. Gda Byrne said Mr McDonnell went to the front wheel of the Audi car and retrieved something from the area.
Garda Patrick Carey gave evidence that he observed Mr McDonnell go into the 'K' block of Pearse House on Hanover Street East at 2.30pm on September 14.
Detective Sergeant John Keane testified that he had approached the driver's door of the Audi car at Lein Park on September 14, when Mr McDonnell got into it. The witness said he had his firearm drawn and identified himself to Mr McDonnell as an armed garda before he removed him from the car and put him on the ground. "There were a number of items on his lap that fell to the ground such as a car key, two dark coloured baseball hats, two sets of gloves and two balaclavas," he said.
Opening the prosecution case yesterday (Monday), Mr Gillane told the three-judge court that a garda surveillance operation covering the Coolock area of north Dublin commenced on September 11, 2019 under the direction of Detective Inspector Noel Browne of the Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau. The operation culminated three days later. Mr Gillane said that the non-jury court will be satisfied that a combination of the circumstances in the case will conclude that the Audi was parked up at Lein Park for the purpose of its deployment in a criminal enterprise and the only use for the firearm was to endanger life.
The trial continues on Thursday.