Man who shot at patrol car jailed for four years
A man who fired five times at a patrol car with a shotgun before pointing it directly at a plain clothes garda has been jailed for four years.
The sentence will run consecutive to his current six year term he is serving.
Brian Rattigan, aged 23, of Cooley Road, Drimnagh, pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm with intention to cause harm and to resisting arrest on February 15, 2003.
Rattigan was jailed last May for six years for possession of over €27,000 worth of heroin.
Judge Joseph Matthews at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that Rattigan cocked the shotgun and pointed it directly at Detective Garda Jim Matthews who drew his own gun and fired a warning shot in the air.
Detective Inspector Gabriel O'Gara told prosecuting counsel, Ms Marie Torrens BL that Rattigan cocked the gun at Det Garda Matthews as he ran after him and three other men who were fleeing on foot from a car that had just been involved in a high speed chase with a patrol car.
The unmarked patrol car, driven by Garda Paul Maher in the company of Garda Patrick Smith, had come across a navy blue Sunny Nissan in the vicinity of Bluebell Estate in Inchicore earlier that day.
They noticed the driver reacted suspiciously to their presence on the street and decided to perform a routine check of the vehicle.
Det Insp O'Gara said that on seeing the gardaí turn in their direction, the Nissan took off at high speed in the direction of Bluebell Road.
As Garda Maher gave chase he called for assistance on the radio. Plainclothes gardaí Jim Matthews and Brian Herne responded to the call and joined the chase at a later stage.
The Nissan, in which Rattigan was a backseat passenger, drove into a cul de sac adjoining Naas Road and Garda Maher stopped behind it as it came to a halt at the end of the road.
The Nissan reversed, colliding with the garda car as it left.
Det Insp O'Gara said the impact of the collision was so great that it dislodged some of the fixings in the car, even though neither officer sustained any harm to themselves at this point.
The Nissan spun around and went on La Touche Road at high speed where it collided with another car. The driver of that car was not harmed, even though again the car was left damaged.
Garda Maher and Garda Smith realised shots were being fired in the direction of their car right through the rear window of the Nissan as they followed directly behind it on La Touche Road.
Det Insp O'Gara said a total of five shots, three of them hitting the garda patrol car, were fired before the Nissan drove into a cul-de-sac off Bluebell Road and stopped.
All four men in the car then got out and fled on foot.
Rattigan, who had been the rear right passenger in the Nissan, was seen running with a single barrelled shot gun in his hand.
As the two plainclothes officers followed them, Rattigan turned around and pointed the gun straight at Det Garda Matthews.
With Rattigan's gun cocked, and himself in the line of fire, Garda Matthews told him to drop his gun.
Rattigan continued to hold his aim until Garda Matthews drew his own gun and fired a warning shot.
Rattigan put his gun down then, and was arrested.
Mr Brendan Grehan SC, defending, said Rattigan himself had been a victim of a shooting in March 2002, and his brother had been gunned down in July the same year outside their home.
Mr Grehan said he was unable to accede to Judge Matthew's request that the court be given more background on the shooting incidents in Rattigan's personal history in case, as he said, Rattigan was part of "a horrible scenario where he is walking around with a gun because he is expecting to have his head blown off".
Mr Grehan said the court could not be furnished with any further information on such history as there might be other legal issues that Rattigan might have to deal with in the future.
He also told Judge Matthews that despite Rattigan having pulled the gun, "he didn't take the ultimate step of pulling the trigger".
Mr Grehan added that while later investigations showed that Rattigan's gun was empty when he cocked it at Garda Matthews, the court should not speculate as to whether he would have fired it or not had it not been empty.
Judge Matthews adjourned sentencing until March 3 on another passenger in the car.
Wayne McNally, aged 19, of Loreto Road, Dublin 8 pleaded guilty to allowing himself to be carried in it.
Ms Isobel Kennedy SC, defending, said McNally had been the front passenger seat, and there was no evidence to suggest he knew there was a gun in the car.
He told gardaí he only realised "there's a fucking gun" when the shots were fired from the backseat.
