A man who held gardai at gunpoint and threatened to "blow their heads off" has been jailed for 31/2 years by Judge Dominic Lynch at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
David Quinn threw away his gun at the door of his house just before a detective was about to shoot him, the court heard. Det. Garda Denis Kenny said the main reason he did not shoot Quinn was that he had known him for 10-12 years.
Judge Lynch commended Det. Garda Kenny for his "quick thinking" in the matter.
Quinn (28), unemployed, of St Ronan's Park, Clondalkin, pleaded guilty to two charges of the unauthorised possession of a firearm and to a threat to kill or cause serious harm to Det. Garda Kenny on September 18th, 1998. He also admitted one further charge of the sale and supply of ecstasy. He has eight previous convictions.
Det. Garda Kenny told Mr Paul Coffey, prosecuting, that Quinn threatened to shoot him after a domestic dispute with his girlfriend. He said Quinn was shouting and roaring at his girlfriend about the condition of their house. His girlfriend threatened she would get the Garda and fled from the house. Two Garda cars drove to the scene where they observed Quinn leaning out an upstairs window with his two-year-old daughter in one arm and a gun in the other.
Det Gda Kenny said he took cover behind a Garda car while he tried to negotiate with the gunman.
He warned Quinn to get rid of the gun and told him he was just about to shoot him when the defendant threw his gun away. He was immediately arrested. The firearm was found to be a pellet handgun and was not loaded.
Mr Patrick Marrinan, defending, asked Judge Lynch to consider a lenient sentence because Quinn was "totally out of control" at the time and had been on a cocktail of lager and sleeping tablets.