Man and woman in Dublin court charged with firearm offences

Gráinne Ní Aodha, PA

A man and woman have appeared in court charged with firearm and ammunition offences, after a pistol was found in a car and a sub-machine gun was found hidden under the stairs of a home in Dublin.

On Friday, gardaí stopped a car on the Old Navan Road and found a pistol and ammunition.

They arrested a man and a woman and carried out follow-up searches on Friday, seizing two more firearms, including a sub-machine gun, a sawn-off shotgun and ammunition.

Sarah Jane Byrne (35), with an address in Drimnagh, and Jamie Moss (21), with an address in east Ballyfermot, appeared at Blanchardstown court on Monday.

Byrne was charged with possession of a 7.62 x 25mm Tokarev calibre sub-machinegun, a 12 gauge over and under configuration sawn-off Beretta shotgun, 27 rounds of ammunition for a 9mm Luger, a 9mm Makarov semi-automatic pistol and Makarov, Sellier and Bellot ammunition.

Byrne appeared in court wearing a black tracksuit.

Detective Garda Mark Ferris told the court that after Ms Byrne’s arrest on Friday, a residence was searched under a warrant, and a sub-machine gun, a sawn-off shotgun and ammunition for a machine gun were found “hidden under the stairs of the house”.

Moss, who appeared in court wearing a grey and navy tracksuit, was charged with possession of a 9mm Makarov semi-automatic pistol and a round of Makarov, Sellier and Bellot ammunition.

Detective Garda Sean Kelly told Blanchardstown court that a grey Ford Focus was stopped by gardaí on Friday, and that a loaded pistol wrapped in a plastic bag and scarf was found.

Moss was arrested and a full investigation began, he told the court.

Gardaí objected to bail being granted in both cases, but Judge David McHugh granted them under strict bail conditions, which included signing on daily at a Garda station, surrendering passports, and staying out of the Dublin 15 area, except for court appearances.

All three seized firearms and ammunition are being analysed by the ballistics section of the Garda National Technical Bureau.