THE MOTHER of a man injured in a shooting incident in Limerick has accepted that her son is no stranger to violence.
Mary Lynch was giving evidence at Limerick Circuit Court yesterday in the trial of Anthony Kelly of O’Malley Park, Southill, Limerick, who is accused of shooting her son Michael Lynch two years ago.
The 50-year-old has pleaded not guilty to possession of a Glock semi-automatic pistol with intent to endanger life at O’Malley Park, Limerick, on October 28th, 2009.
During cross-examination yesterday, Ms Lynch accepted that her son had been jailed for three years for aggravated burglary.
Defence counsel Brendan Nix also told the jury that Michael Lynch and his brother Gerard were involved in an incident where they broke into a house in Sixmilebridge, Co Clare, armed with samurai swords.
Michael Lynch also received a suspended sentence in January for assault causing harm, to a man who was left unconscious near a graveyard, the court heard.
In her evidence, Ms Lynch said she was not proud of her sons’ behaviour as “they have been in prison”.
The court heard that another son, Fintan Lynch, was found in a Limerick hotel room with a machine gun and wearing a bulletproof vest 12 days after he was released from jail.
When Mr Nix put it to the witness that her son Michael Lynch was no stranger to violence, Ms Lynch replied: “He doesn’t seem to be.”
The court has heard that Michael Lynch and his brother Gerard went to Anthony Kelly’s house on the morning of the shooting after their mother had been involved in an earlier row with his daughter Jessie Kelly.
The jury was told that Ms Lynch returned with a mark on her face and that her sons went up to the house to give out to Jessie Kelly over “the state of my face”.
She admitted her sons were used to violence but denied a suggestion by Mr Nix that they went to Mr Kelly’s house “tooled up with guns”.
Previously, Ms Lynch told the court that Anthony Kelly warned her that he would shoot her sons if she did not take them away from his house. She said he fired three shots from inside the gate of his house and a fourth when he ran outside after her son Michael.
The witness said her son was running away when he was shot by Mr Kelly.
The trial continues.