Jail for two Cork men who admitted having firearms and ammunition
Two Cork men who pleaded guilty to firearms offences after a garda investigation into the "New IRA" have been jailed by the Special Criminal Court today.
Joseph Walsh (36) was jailed for five and a half years while his co-accused Michael Gilmartin (47) was sentenced to five years in prison.
Last year, at the non-jury court, Walsh, of Glengarriff Road, Fair Hill, Co Cork and Gilmartin, with an address at Chestnut Drive, Cluain Ard, Newtown, Cobh, Co Cork both pleaded guilty to possession of firearms including a magazine suitable for a 9mm parabellum pistol, a 9mm parabellum pistol and a double-barrel sawn-off shotgun at Chestnut Drive, Cluain Ard, Newtown, Cobh, County Cork on September 14, 2016.
They also admitted the possession of 14 rounds of 9mm ammunition and eight shotgun cartridges at the same place on the same date.
The court had previously heard that in late 2016, when monitoring a group of subversives calling itself the New IRA, gardai became aware that Gilmartin was to come into possession of firearms on December 14.
Three detective units and members of the armed support unit went to Cobh on that date and Gilmartin was seen in the vicinity of a petrol station in Newtown in Cobh carrying a black Umbro backpack with an FAI logo on it.
Two other men, including the co-accused Joseph Walsh, arrived in a gold-coloured Toyota Avensis and engaged in conversation with Gilmartin. They then drove to Gilmartin's nearby home.
Gardaí saw Walsh enter the house carrying the black Umbro bag. At 7.53pm the armed support unit entered the premises. The two accused were in a child's bedroom and Gilmartin was now holding the bag. The bag contained a dismantled 12-gauge, sawn-off shotgun in fair condition and a smaller bag with a Walther pistol and magazine in good condition. They found 22 rounds of ammunition in total and a holster for the pistol which contained DNA matching Gilmartin's.
Both men were arrested and detained. During interviews Walsh initially took a "no comment attitude" but when gardai asked if he thought the bag contained something illegal he replied: "I had a fair idea."
Sentencing the men today, Mr Justice Tony Hunt said that mitigating factors were their early pleas of guilty.
The judge also said that Walsh was a "recent recruit to such criminality" and that Gilmartin's "level of involvement was limited to logistical support".
Walsh was sentenced to five years and six months in prison for possession of firearms and two years for possession of ammunition.
Gilmartin was jailed for five years for possession of firearms and two years for possession of ammunition.
The men's sentences are to run concurrently and were backdated to December 14, 2016.
