Career criminal caught red-handed with sawn-off gun

A 25-year-old Tuam man has been sentenced to five years in prison after being caught red-handed with a sawn-off shotgun in suspicious circumstances.

Edward Conroy, a father of three from 122 Parkmore Estate, Tuam, appeared in custody before Galway Circuit Criminal Court last Friday where he pleaded guilty to the possession of a single-barrel, sawn-off shotgun in suspicious circumstances on September 1 last year and to driving while disqualified, driving without insurance and driving while drunk at the time.

Garda Mark Shine gave evidence he received a call that Conroy was sitting in a car, armed with a slash hook, outside a house at Gilmartin Road at 12.10am that night and he went to investigate.

Conroy had driven off by the time Garda Shine arrived at the house two minutes later and he drove around looking for him.

He noticed Conroy’s car at short distance away.  It took off at speed, mounting the footpath as it did so. Garda Shine said he activated the siren and blue lights on the patrol car and gave chase.

Conroy drove into Tierboy estate and crashed into a wall. He then ran from the car carrying a gun in his right hand.  He hopped over a wall into a field and headed in the direction of Gilmartin Road.

Garda Shine found the gun just inside the wall. Conroy was subsequently arrested and questioned.

He made full admissions, admitting he had the gun in his possession at the time and that he had discarded it behind the wall while running away from Garda Shine.

During Garda interview, Conroy claimed he had found the gun while tending horses near the railway line.

He denied having the shotgun to threaten others and he claimed he hung onto it because he had found it.

Garda Shine said the accused denied being involved in any ongoing feud in Tuam and Gardaí believed he was telling the truth about that.

The court heard Conroy had 74 previous convictions for assaults, burglaries, thefts, driving while disqualified, dangerous driving, criminal damage and failing to appear in court.

Garda Shine confirmed Conroy was currently serving a sentence for burglary and had been out on bail when these offences were committed.

In reply to Judge Rory McCabe, Garda Shine said Conroy had not told him who owned the gun and he claimed to have found it lying near the railway.

Reading from a very unfavourable probation report which had been handed into court, Judge McCabe asked: “Where’s he getting the money for his expensive cocaine, heroin and cannabis habit?”

Defence barrister, Michael Miley said his client was unemployed and in receipt of social welfare. He had married when he was 17 and had three children.

Judge McCabe said Conroy had told two very different stories about the gun’s provenance. He had told the probation service one story about how he came to be in possession of the gun and that the owner of the gun had asked him to return it.

Then, in his letter which had just been handed into court, Judge McCabe said Conroy had claimed he was in a distraught state of mind at the time and the gun had made him feel safe and helped to alleviate his mental state.

The judge said he had heard or read nothing to convince him that Conroy had any intention of rehabilitating himself while in prison.

“His pattern of lawlessness will continue, as outlined by the probation service, and I’m not prepared to make any allowances for rehabilitation,” Judge McCabe said before sentencing Conroy to five years in prison.

He imposed three, concurrent four-month sentences for the motoring offences, which he made consecutive to the five-year sentence and he disqualified Conroy for five years.