A man “casually” brandished a handgun at people outside a Dublin Garda station, before a young boy later found and fired the weapon in the area, a court has heard.
Josh Larkin (20) was charged with weapons offences for possessing a black handgun and producing it in the course of a dispute on Tuesday at Gateway Crescent, outside Ballymun Garda station.
Dublin District Court heard the incident was connected to a local gang feud, which has resulted in multiple other incidents involving weapons and violence.
Larkin, of Poppintree Crescent, Ballymun, also faces a connected charge of possessing cannabis at Sillogue Park on the same date.
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Judge Brendan O’Reilly granted bail over Garda opposition, but required cash lodgements of €6,500 before Larkin, who is unemployed, can be released, subject to several conditions.
“The weapon is unaccounted for and investigating gardaí believe it has fallen into the hands of criminal elements in the area,” Garda Ben Grimes told the contested bail hearing.
Grimes said the accused made no reply when charged at Ballymun Garda station.
The officer told the court that at about 3.13pm on Tuesday, he and a colleague were about to go out to conduct routine inquiries in the district when they saw what appeared to be three males in an altercation directly opposite the station.
The garda said one of them brandished a handgun at people, but he fled on an e-scooter when approached. Gardaí circulated a description and gave chase to Sillogue Park, where the accused was arrested.
The court heard gardaí at Ballymun recovered “impeccable” quality CCTV from seven locations as part of the investigation.
Grimes alleged the accused was caught red-handed and there was strong evidence. He said footage showed the accused as he “casually” brandished the firearm in front of people directly across from the station.
The garda said video evidence showed the accused placing the gun under a bush and that he threw away gloves and a pair of underpants he had around his neck as a snood.
Referring to the footage, the officer alleged: “Moments after the handgun is dumped in a bush in Sillogue Gardens, it was picked up by a six-year-old child. The child hands it to his 11-year-old brother, who accidentally discharges it.”
The judge heard that the child was treated for a shoulder injury from the gun recoil.
The garda also said that it was concerning that children were in the area when the gun was fired. He also cited the possibility of efforts to intimidate locals for assisting gardaí in their inquiries.
When the video evidence was played during the hearing, defence solicitor Eoin Lysaght disputed claims that a gun was visible.
The garda insisted he could see it in the footage. He also told the court that further charges could be brought.
Lysaght submitted that his client, who enjoyed the presumption of innocence, would abide by stringent bail conditions. The accused did not address the court.
The judge noted that the accused had no bench warrant history and set bail at €5,000, of which €1,500 in cash must be lodged by Larkin. An independent surety of €15,000 must be approved, of which €5,000 must be paid into court before he can be released. The judge also stipulated that the source of the cash had to be verified.
Larkin was remanded in custody with consent to bail to appear at Cloverhill District Court on May 7th for directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions. Legal aid was granted.
