A nephew of murdered Limerick crime boss Kieran Keane was jailed for ten years today for having a loaded semi-automatic firearm in his possession less than three weeks after he was released from prison.
Liam Keane, Singland Gardens, Ballysimon, Limerick, was wearing latex gloves when he was found with a 9mm Parabbellum Glock Pistol and 13 rounds of ammunition in Limerick city on May 4th last.
The 24-year-old was released from prison just 17 days before he was stopped by the Emeregency Response Unit driving a stolen Mazda RX5.
Gardai found the gun, which was loaded and ready for use, in the footwell at the front passenger side of the car.
Liam Keane pleaded guilty at the Circuit Criminal Court in Limerick last month to possession of the firearm and 13 rounds of ammunition for an unlawful purpose at Athlunkard Road, Corbally, Limerick.
A co-accused, Greg Crawford, St Munchin’s Street, St Mary’s Park, who was a front seat passenger in the car pleaded guilty to the same charges.
Before jailing both men for 10 years today, Judge Carroll Moran said he had to take into account the position of the gun in the car and the fact that it was ready for “immediate use”.
He also had to take into account, evidence from the State that the accused men were in possession of the gun for a “serious and sinister purpose of an immediate nature”.
Both men were wearing gloves when they were stopped by gardai and Keane was wearing latex gloves which can be used to “frustrate the gathering of forensic evidence “ said Judge Moran.
He described this as an aggravating factor in the case along with evidence that the gun, had been used in a previous shooting incident in which a man was shot at 14 times.
Judge Moran said there was nothing to suggest the accused men were involved in this incident, but said the gun was linked to a well known Limerick feud that resulted in the loss of a number of lives.
Liam Keane was also jailed for three years yesterday after pleading guilty to possession of a stolen car but Judge Moran ordered that this sentence run concurrent to the ten year jail term, imposed for the firearm charge.
Keane, who has almost 50 previous convictions, is the son of Christy Keane who is due for release next month after he was jailed for ten years in 2002 for possession of drugs,
His uncle Kieran Keane, a well known Limerick crime figure was shot dead in a gangland shooting in Limerick in January 2003.
Keane dramatically walked free from a murder trial at the Central Criminal Court in Dublin on November 2003 after several prosecution witnesses denied making statements to gardai identifying him as the killer of 19-year-old Eric Leamy.
Keane had denied the murder at Lee Estate, Limerick, in August 2001, and made headlines for his two-fingered salute following the collapse of the murder trial.