Former rugby player jailed for possession of machete on Dublin street

Natasha Reid

A former competitive rugby player and scholarship recipient has been jailed for 18 months for possession of a machete on a Dublin street during the summer.

Michael Ibrahim’s barrister said he’d had "bright prospects" until he became injured and fell in with "a bad crowd".

The 21-year-old father of one, with an address at Taylor Hill Court, Balbriggan, was before Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on Thursday. He pleaded guilty to possession of a machete with a sharply pointed blade on July 2nd last on Shelbourne Road in the city.

The court heard that gardaí were on patrol on Shelbourne Road around 10pm that night, when they noticed Ibrahim and another male acting suspiciously, quickening their pace as gardaí approached.

The other male told the officers that they had just smoked a joint, which gardaí could smell.

They were searched, and broken nail scissors were found on Ibrahim. He was asked for an explanation but didn’t give one, and was arrested. The court heard that he put up some resistance, and at this stage, gardaí found a black machete concealed under his clothing.

A photograph of both blades was shown to the court.

When asked, Ibrahim gave no explanation for the machete, was arrested and charged. The court heard that he had 26 previous convictions, including for dealing drugs.

Judge Orla Crowe asked the arresting garda about the length of the machete’s blade, and was told that it was about as long as the keyboard on a standard computer.

His barrister said that the reason his client had not given an explanation was because there was none.

He explained that Ibrahim had played competitive rugby as a teenager, had got a scholarship and that his prospects were very bright. He said that his mother, who was present in court and is studying for a masters degree, used to drive him all over the country to rugby matches.

Counsel said that he was very highly regarded in Balbriggan Rugby Club and handed in a newspaper article, in which he had been named for scoring a particular try.

However, the barrister said that he had suffered an injury and then fell in with a bad crowd.

“He wants to leave offending behind,” he said. “He’s willing to do any amount of community service.”

He explained that the defendant has a one-and-a-half-year-old child with his partner, who was in court, and was a "positive influence in his life".

The judge said that the case is "inherently serious" as the defendant has a "considerable amount of previous convictions", stating that it was not a case to be dealt with by community service.

She said that it was very fortunate that the gardaí had been astute.

She sentenced Ibrahim to 18 months in prison.