The leader of a "Devil's Disciples" motorcycle gang was yesterday given a five-year suspended sentence for possession of a gun and ammunition during a feud with another gang. Judge Kieran O'Connor said he was impressed with defendant Alan Rush's charity work, and accepted that he carried the gun to protect his family.
Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that "the Devil's Disciples" were in a feud with "the Brothers" biker gang, and Rush's wife had been threatened.
Sometime later, an ambulance driver and garda found a Browning pistol and ammunition in Rush's jacket after he crashed his Harley Davidson motorbike.
Rush warned the garda to be careful because the gun was cocked. Rush (35), of St Catherine's Close, Rush, Co Dublin, pleaded guilty to having an illegally held gun and ammunition in Swords on October 16th, 1996.