Ideal father candidate jailed for firearms offences
A single father of six nominated by his children in a newspaper feature as the "ideal father", has been jailed for three years for possession of firearms found in his garden shed.
Anthony Corbally, aged 42, of Balbutcher Drive, Ballymun, a former corporal in the Army, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to unlawful possession of two pistols, two silencers and five rounds of ammunition on April 5, 2004.
Detective Sergeant Kevin Stratford told prosecuting counsel, Mr Cormac Quinn BL, that gardaí searched Corbally’s house on April 5, 2004 on foot of confidential information.
A 9mm semi-automatic Walter pistol was found wrapped in a blue towel, contained in a plastic bag in his garden shed. In the same area gardaí uncovered a Tesco carrier bag which contained a .22 mm semi-automatic pistol wrapped in another towel.
Det. Sgt Stratford said the Ruger pistol was loaded with eight rounds of live ammunition and a blue sock found nearby contained another 44 rounds of .22 ammunition. Two silencers, one homemade, were also found in the shed.
Det. Sgt Stratford said that in subsequent interviews Corbally took responsibility for the arms and ammunition found in his garden shed but refused to give further information. "I have accepted responsibility for them, I have nothing further to add," he said.
Mr Luigi Rea BL, told Judge Desmond Hogan that Corbally was the father of six children whom he cared for by himself until recently. Currently he was in a long-term relationship and his new partner lives with him and the children.
Mr Rea also told Judge Hogan that there was no evidence that Mr Corbally’s house was "a factory" of sorts of arms and ammunition, nor was there any evidence that he was a member of any illegal organisation.
Judge Hogan said that while the crime was serious in itself, the "troubled and violent times" that we now lived in increased its seriousness even more.
He sentenced Corbally to three years. But considering Corbally’s personal circumstances as the sole carer of his six children, as well as his early plea of guilty, he suspended the last 12 months.
