TWO Northern Ireland men were jailed by the Special Criminal Court in Dublin, yesterday, for having a large arms cache in north Co Dublin last year.
Sean Branif (42), a native of Downpatrick, Co Down, with an address at Juniper Court, Twinbrook, Belfast, was jailed for seven years, and Anthony Patrick Gorman (27), of Dalton Road, Armagh, for five years for having 26 guns and 2,500 rounds of ammunition for an unlawful purpose at Blackhall, Balbriggan, Co Dublin, on April 4th last year.
Mr Justice Morris said the court regarded the offences as extremely serious, both because of the amount of arms and ammunition and the type of firearms involved. He said the only mitigating factor was that the men had not resisted gardai.
Braniff and Gorman were among four men arrested after Special Branch detectives approached a car and van stopped at the side of the road about a mile from Balbriggan.
The court heard that the arms seizure followed a surveillance operation after gardai had received confidential information about arms being moved.
Braniff and Gorman were cleared by direction on Thursday of having two FN FAL automatic rifles, two Kalashnikov rifles, two US M3 submachine guns and 20 Browning pistols and 2,500 rounds of ammunition at Blackhall, Balbriggan, Co Dublin, with intent to endanger life on April 4th last year.
Following the court's decision to acquit the men of the more serious charges, Braniff was re arraigned and pleaded guilty to having the guns and ammunition for an unlawful purpose. Gorman had admitted those charges at the beginning of the trial on Tuesday.
Sentencing Braniff, Mr Justice Morris said the court took into account the fact that he had pleaded guilty to the offences and had conducted his defence responsibly. But it also took into account that he had a conviction in Northern Ireland for which he had received a six year prison sentence.
Mr Justice Morris said Gorman had pleaded guilty at the earliest possible moment and had also conducted his defence responsibly.