A man was jailed by the Special Criminal Court yesterday for his part in the construction of a massive car-bomb discovered in a car about to embark on an Irish Sea ferry.
John McNamara (39), a carpenter and former soldier, of Courtown Park, Kilcock, Co Kildare, pleaded guilty to conspiring with a person or persons not before the court to cause an explosion in the State or elsewhere between March 19th and April 2nd, 1998.
Mr Justice Johnson, presiding, said McNamara had pleaded guilty to an extremely serious offence, "the consequences of which could have been really horrific". McNamara was "an essential cog in the wheel that put together this conspiracy," he said.
The court jailed McNamara for 10 years but suspended the final seven of the sentence on condition that he not associate with criminals or subversives.
Det Supt Noel White told the court that a red BMW car was intercepted by gardai as it was about to board the ferry at Dun Laoghaire on April 2nd, 1998. The car was found to contain 980lb of home-made explosives and bomb-making equipment.
Det Supt White said that McNamara got involved in criminality through working for a particular person and was involved in "stealing and ringing" cars, which led to his involvement in the car-bomb.
He told gardai he was asked to fit heavy springs to the rear of the BMW and to take the car to Co Meath. He was involved in mixing the explosives and transporting them and he drove the car to a particular location where it was then picked up by somebody else and taken to Dun Laoghaire.
Det Supt White told Mr Patrick Gageby SC, defending, that McNamara had been threatened that he would "go into a hole in the ground" if he opened his mouth about his involvement. He agreed that McNamara had no political or subversive motivation.