Two men have been given long sentences at the Special Criminal Court in Dublin after they were convicted of having improvised detonating cord used in IRA explosions. Denis Lahiff (45), single, of Carrick Road, Portlaw, Co Waterford, was jailed for nine years and Simon Kieran Maxwell (31), a married man with one child, of Stonehall, Multyfarnham, Co Westmeath, was jailed for six years.
Mr Justice Barr, presiding, said if the IRA ceasefire did not exist the court would have considered imposing sentences closer to the maximum life term.
"However, whatever the prospects are for the continuation of peace in Ireland, the court must take into account the gravity of the offences and that at the time the offences were committed terrorists were using bombs in support of their political objectives," he said.
The court was told that after Lahiff and Maxwell were arrested by Special Branch detectives in the car-park of Mother Hubbard's restaurant in Co Kildare gardai discovered 258 feet of detonating cord packed in two plastic pipes in Lahiff's van. They searched Lahiff's house in Co Waterford and uncovered a manufacturing operation to produce the detonating cord.
The men were convicted of having improvised detonating cord containing the explosives PETN and RDX with intent to endanger life at Ballyonan, Moyvalley, Enfield, Co Kildare, on February 17th last. Lahiff was also found guilty of having explosive substances, with intent to endanger life, at his home in Portlaw.
Charges against both men of IRA membership were adjourned until November 18th. A Garda ballistics expert said a sophisticated process was found in Lahiff's kitchen to make the cord from plastic tubing and powder containing explosives extracted from Semtex. Det Sgt Brendan McArdle said the cord was used by the Provisional IRA as a booster charge in explosions.
Mr Justice Barr said the cord was used to detonate bombs which had an appalling potential for loss of innocent life, grievous injury and destruction of property.