Man (22) pleads guilty to having gun and ammunition
Jamie Moss, Meadowview, Ballyfermot, Dublin 10, appeared before the three-judge, non-jury Special Criminal Court on Monday, where he pleaded guilty to two offences.
Advertisement
He was arraigned before the court and replied 'guilty' to the charge that on February 16th, 2024 at Old Navan Road, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15 in Dublin, he had in his possession and control a 9mm Makarov calibre semi-automatic pistol in such circumstances giving rise to a reasonable inference that he did not have it in his possession or under control for a lawful purpose.
On the same date, at the same address, he pleaded guilty to having in his possession a 9mm Makarov Sellier and Bellot round of ammunition in such circumstances giving rise to a reasonable inference that he did not have it in his possession or under control for a lawful purpose.
A barrister for the State told the court that a sentence hearing for a co-accused is listed for October 20th this year and said the matters can be joined together. She said Mr Moss is currently on bail and there was no issue with that continuing.
Carol Doherty BL, for Moss, asked that a probation report be prepared in respect of her client, who is a young man who has just finished his education.
Advertisement
Ms Justice Karen O'Connor directed that a probation report be prepared and remanded Moss on continuing bail to October 20th for sentencing.
In June this year, co-accused Sarah Jane Byrne (27) pleaded guilty to five offences.
Byrne pleaded guilty that on February 16th 2024, at Old Navan Road in Blanchardstown, Dublin 15, she had in her possession or under control a 9mm Makarov semi-automatic pistol and ammunition in circumstances giving rise to a reasonable inference she did not have them for a lawful purpose.
On the same date, at her home address, she pleaded guilty to similar charges relating to possession of 27 rounds of Luger 9mm ammunition, a 12-gauge "over and under" sawn-off Beretta shotgun, and a Tokarev submachine gun.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
11 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Nine teens arrested in connection with 'love triangle' murder of boy, 16
A 16-year-old boy was lured to his death following an argument 'over a girl,' in what authorities are calling a calculated and deadly plot. South Carolina teenager Trey Dean Wright was found shot to death on June 24. Nine teenagers, including the victim's girlfriend have been arrested following the savage attack. Deputies discovered Wright lying in the middle of First Neck Road near Johnsonville - about 45 miles from Myrtle Beach, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds Fox New reports. The teen later died at the hospital and in a chilling twist, authorities revealed the murder was caught on video. 'This was an altercation between two people,' Sheriff TJ Joye said, as reported by WBTW News. 'It's not like I'm just going to go to Johnsonville and shoot somebody,' he added. 'They had issues with each other and it was over a female.' Just one day after the shooting, Devan Scott Raper, 19, was taken into custody by the Florence County Sheriff's Office, accused of firing the fatal shots after an argument turned deadly. 'The sad thing is, you got a 16-year-old that lost his life,' Joye added. 'You've got a 19-year-old who is going to be in jail the rest of his life. Over what?' Raper, from Conway, was booked into the Florence County Detention Center following his arrest on charges of murder and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime. He remains behind bars as a judge denied his bond. But in a haunting turn of events, the initial arrest quickly expanded into eight more over the following weeks - including Wright's own girlfriend - all accused of being part of a deadly setup. Gianna Kistenmacher, the victim's 17-year-old girlfriend, was the second to be arrested - shockingly taken into custody on June 30 for what authorities described as significant involvement in the case. According to the sheriff's office, Kistenmacher, of Myrtle Beach, brought her boyfriend to meet with Raper - knowing he was armed and likely to kill Wright. She was arrested and charged with accessory before the fact to a felony, but has since been granted bond and subsequently released to home confinement. On Tuesday, a staggering three more teens from Myrtle Beach were charged in connection with Wright's heinous murder. Among those charged in connection with the killing are Hunter Kendall, 18, Sydney Kearns, 17, and Corrinne Belviso, 18 - though their alleged roles in the disturbing scheme remain unclear. Maj. Michael Nunn of the Florence County Sheriff's Office told WBTW-TV that the additional arrests involved individuals 'complicit in bringing the armed codefendant, Raper, to the incident location and knowing that there would be a confrontation'. 'They knew that Raper had presented a firearm to the victim and made threats to shoot him, according to the arrest warrants,' Nunn added. Nunn also confirmed that all five suspects accused of murder are being charged as adults under South Carolina law, according to The Post and Courier. Similar to Raper, Kendall remains in custody without bond, while Belviso and Kearns each posted their $20,000 bonds last week and are now awaiting trial, Fox News reported. Four additional teens were taken into custody for involvement in the deadly romantic rivalry, but authorities have not released their identities or any further information, as they are minors. According to Nunn, one of the nine teens was behind the recording of the incident, according to WBTW. 'A lot of times the, people involved record the event, so that takes a lot of the guesswork out of it,' Nunn told the outlet. 'Well, it's kind of hard to deny what we see with our, with our eyes, and what's posted on social media, audio, video, those types of things,' he added. Nunn said one final suspect is still expected to turn themselves in, adding that the decision to charge so many teens with murder was made carefully and in close consultation with prosecutors, according to WBTW. 'All this court hearing and bond court and stuff is driving me crazy,' Ashley Lindsey, Wright's mother, told Fox News Digital. 'I don't even have time to sit down and think half the time, on top of losing my precious baby.' Nunn said the case stands out as rare and highly unusual, according to Post and Courier. 'Every case is different,' Nunn told the outlet. 'I can't say that I've ever seen one identical to this. This case would be unusual anywhere.' Raper's next court appearance is scheduled for August 19, while Kendall and Belviso are set to appear in Florence County Circuit Court on September 17.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Cooper says Palestine Action ‘more than a regular protest group'
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has labelled Palestine Action more than 'a regular protest group' as she defended the group's proscription as a terrorist organisation. She said protest and free speech remain 'an important part of our democracy' which will 'always be protected', but argued Palestine Action has carried out 'an escalating campaign'. Writing in The Observer, she said: 'Some may think it is a regular protest group known for occasional stunts. But that is not the extent of its past activities.' Ms Cooper said counterterrorism intelligence showed the organisation passed the tests to be proscribed under the 2000 Terrorism Act with 'disturbing information' about future attacks. 'Protecting public safety and national security are at the very heart of the job I do,' she said. 'Were there to be further serious attacks or injuries, the government would rightly be condemned for not acting sooner to keep people safe.' She said only a tiny minority of people who had protested in support of Palestinian people since the start of the war with Israel had been arrested. 'That is why the proscription of this group is not about protest or the Palestinian cause,' she said. 'In a democracy, lawful protest is a fundamental right but violent criminality is not. The Metropolitan Police said on Friday more than 700 people have been arrested since the group was banned on July 5. The force said a further 60 people will be prosecuted for support of Palestine Action, while Norfolk Police said on Saturday 13 people were arrested at a protest in Norwich. Last week, the Met confirmed the first three charges in England and Wales for offences under the Terrorism Act relating to Palestine Action. The three people charged were arrested at a protest in Parliament Square on July 5. More prosecutions are expected in the coming weeks, and arrangements have been put in place 'that will enable us to investigate and prosecute significant numbers each week if necessary', the Met said.
The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
‘50 years of anger and pain': Miami Sounband's Des Lee when Irish terrorists colluded with MI5 to massacre Ireland's biggest band
'It was absolutely despicable,' says Des Lee, his voice trembling with emotion, 'to think that those people who were supposed to be protecting us had planned our murder …' I've never heard a story as astonishing as Lee's. His memoir, My Saxophone Saved My Life, recounts the events of half a century ago, in which his much-loved pop group, the Miami Showband, were ambushed by loyalist paramilitaries operating a fake army checkpoint, with half his bandmates murdered as he lay still, playing dead to stay alive. Though the attack carries strangely little traction in Britain, the Miami Showband massacre of 1975 is deeply etched into Irish cultural memory. Even amid the context of the Troubles, whose bleak statistics – more than 3,600 dead, more than 47,500 injured – made slaughter almost normalised, the killing of three members of the Miami Showband left Ireland in shock. Fifty years after the atrocity, Lee, 79, tells me about a tangled plot with its roots in the uniquely Irish phenomenon of showbands. In their heyday in the 1950s to 70s, showbands – besuited troupes, closer to cabaret than rock'n'roll, performing contemporary hits with slick routines choreographed down to the last synchronised leg kick – fulfilled a need for glamour and escapism at a time when overseas stars seldom visited Ireland. Showbands, who typically took the stage around midnight, provided a crucial context in which young people from the Catholic and Protestant communities could forget their troubles (and the Troubles), and let their hair down. 'As far as we were concerned,' Lee recalls, 'a punter was a punter, no matter what religion, creed or colour. They would mingle, and you could have a Protestant meeting a Catholic and getting married. It was incredible.' Born John Desmond McAlea on 29 July 1946, Lee grew up in the Catholic suburb of Andersonstown, West Belfast, in a relatively comfortable working-class family. He would supplement his pocket money in audacious ways. On 12 July, AKA The Twelfth or Orangemen's Day, the Protestant community would hold rallies at which the likes of Reverend Ian Paisley would vehemently denounce Republicans and Catholics. Lee would go along and blend with the crowd, collecting bottles discarded by the Loyalist throng and claiming the penny deposits. Lee found a job at a plumbing supplier but his head was soon turned by rock'n'roll, and he quit to follow in the footsteps of his nightclub musician father. He served his apprenticeship on a thriving Belfast scene centred around Cymbals instrument shop, where he rubbed shoulders with a teenage Van Morrison ('A strange guy,' says Lee, 'but an exceptional talent') and future members of Thin Lizzy. In 1967, the circuit's leading act, the Miami Showband, underwent one of its periodic reshuffles and drafted in Lee on sax, along with a handsome, charismatic singer-pianist called Fran O'Toole. Fronted by Dickie Rock, who had represented Ireland at Eurovision, the Miami were as big as it got. When Des calls them 'The Irish Beatles' with a twinkle, it's only slight hyperbole: they topped the Irish singles chart seven times. 'When I got the deal to join,' says Lee, 'I thought, 'My God, all my birthdays are coming together.' I jumped at it.' 'Girls were screaming,' he says. 'We would have 2,500 people inside watching us, and 2,500 outside trying to get in. I couldn't go to the shop without people wanting my autograph. It was stardom with a capital S.' Lee developed a close friendship and songwriting partnership with O'Toole, who later replaced Rock as frontman. Lee became the bandleader. His responsibilities included repertoire and finances, and ensuring everyone looked immaculate (70s footage shows them in dazzling-white suits with glittering lapels). He also instilled discipline. 'My job was to make sure everybody was squeaky clean,' he says. 'No going on the piss before a gig. We weren't saints or angels, make no mistake. What goes on afterwards, behind closed doors, nobody knows. But we had to put on a professional show.' The Miami Showband entered the summer of 1975 in an optimistic mood. The band had scored major hits with Charlie Rich's country standard There Won't Be Anymore and Bonnie St Claire's bubblegum-glam nugget Clap Your Hands and Stamp Your Feet. O'Toole was being groomed for solo stardom, and had been booked to play Las Vegas to launch his Lee-penned single Love Is, with the intention of positioning him as the next David Cassidy. But that show never took place. On Wednesday 30 July 1975, the Miami played the Castle Ballroom in Banbridge, County Down, about 10 miles north of the border. 'It was just a normal night, nothing untoward. We came off stage and did the usual thing: signed autographs, chatted to the fans, then we had a cup of tea and a sandwich, and got ready to do the journey back to Dublin.' Road manager Brian Maguire went ahead in the equipment van. Drummer Ray Millar drove separately to visit family in Antrim. The rest of the band – O'Toole, Lee, Brian McCoy, bassist Stephen Travers and guitarist Tony Geraghty – climbed into the Volkswagen minibus and headed south. Eight miles into the journey, at 2.30am on Thursday 31 July, they were flagged down by the red torch of an army checkpoint, a commonplace occurrence in the North. 'You would be asked the same questions: 'Where are you going, where are you coming from?'' says Lee. 'We would be sitting in the van with a bottle of brandy or whiskey, and we'd occasionally offer a drop to the soldier who stopped us.' They were asked to step out of the van – again, not entirely unusual – and made to line up facing the roadside ditch. At first, the soldiers chatted casually, but their demeanour changed when someone with an English accent joined them and began giving orders. McCoy found this reassuring, telling Travers that they were dealing with the British army rather than the less predictable, locally recruited Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR). Before the search, Lee asked permission to fetch his saxophone to show it wasn't a weapon, laying it on the road a few feet away. Suddenly, an almighty explosion tore through the van, throwing all five musicians across the ditch into the undergrowth. The soldiers had not been soldiers at all – at least, not on duty. The fake army patrol were members of the paramilitary Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), although at least four of them were also serving with the UDR. Their intention was to plant a briefcase bomb under the driver's seat, timed to explode further down the road. The timer malfunctioned, instantly killing two members of the UVF's Mid-Ulster Brigade, Harris Boyle and Wesley Somerville. In the chaos, an order was given to shoot the fleeing musicians to eliminate witnesses. Lee lay still with his face in the grass, slowing his breathing and pretending to be dead – a trick he had learned from watching Vietnam movies – as he heard the murder of his friends taking place around him. First to die was McCoy, 32, shot in the back with a Luger pistol. Travers, 24, hit by a dumdum bullet, was seriously wounded. As Geraghty, 24, and O'Toole, 28, attempted to drag him to safety, they were caught by gunmen, pleading for their lives before being executed with Sterling submachine guns. O'Toole was shot 22 times, his long-haired head so badly mutilated that a doctor would later ask Lee if there was a girl in the band. Travers lay next to the body of McCoy and, like Lee, played dead. Once the attackers had apparently left the scene, Lee cautiously went to fetch help. 'The main road was the most horrific scene I've ever seen in my life,' he remembers. 'There were bits of bodies lying all over the place. It was horrendous.' The first passing vehicle, a truck, refused to give Lee a lift. Eventually, a young couple agreed to drive him to nearby Newry, where he alerted police. 'My hand was on the door handle just in case, ready to jump out, because I didn't trust anybody at that stage.' The killings stunned Ireland, and thousands lined the streets for the funerals of the murdered musicians. The Miami Showband had represented hope. Not only did their shows unite communities, but their membership was mixed: McCoy and Millar were Protestants, the rest were Catholics. Is it fanciful to suggest that they were targeted because someone, somewhere, resented this pan-sectarian fraternisation? Lee doesn't think that was the motive. 'We were the No 1 band, and this gang wanted maximum publicity. If that bomb had exploded when they intended, the Miami Showband would have been accused of carrying weapons for the IRA.' (Indeed, within 12 hours, the UVF accused the band of being bomb-traffickers, describing their killing as 'justifiable homicide'.) Lee agreed to testify at the trial in Belfast on condition he was helicoptered to and from the Irish border, with 24-hour protection. His life was threatened by relatives of the accused; he has, he says, been looking over his shoulder ever since. Lance corporal Thomas Crozier and Sgt James McDowell, both of the UDR, were sentenced to life in the Maze prison, as was John Somerville, brother of the deceased Wesley and a former soldier. (They were released under the Good Friday agreement.) Everything pointed towards collusion: covert collaboration between paramilitaries and the organs of the British state. Travers, Lee and Millar relaunched the Miami Showband with new members before the year was out, to familiar scenes of hysteria – but their hearts weren't in it. Travers felt they had become a circus, and that audiences had come to stare rather than dance; he left the band the following year. For Lee, now lead singer, it could never be the same without his lost band members. 'I looked around and there was no Fran, no Brian and no Tony, and I didn't enjoy that.' In 1982, tired of feeling that he and his family were in danger, Lee started a new life in South Africa, performing as a saxophonist and band leader on the Holiday Inn circuit. He remained there for two decades, only returning after his wife, Brenda, died. Travers, meanwhile, went on a tenacious, meticulous search for the truth, engaging with numerous investigations and initiatives. A 2019 Netflix documentary, Remastered: The Miami Showband Massacre, is centred around his dogged efforts. Through the years, the finger of suspicion has repeatedly pointed at two men: Capt Robert Nairac of the Grenadier guards (later executed by Republicans), and Robin 'The Jackal' Jackson, a former soldier from County Down and a key figure in the notorious Glenanne Gang, were believed to have planned the ambush. Both were named by British intelligence whistleblowers, and Ken Livingstone named Nairac as a conspirator in his maiden speech as an MP. In December 2017, 80 documents were released including a 1987 letter from the UVF to the then-taoiseach Charles Haughey on headed notepaper, which openly admitted collusion with MI5 in the attack. The evidence was now overwhelming. The historic activities of the Glenanne Gang, including the Miami Showband Massacre, fall under the purview of Operation Denton, due to report this year. The massacre hasn't faded from Irish memory. A sculpture commemorating the dead musicians, unveiled in 2007 by former taoiseach Bertie Ahern, stands on Parnell Square in Dublin. One person who apparently didn't remember, however, was Bono, who described the 2015 shootings at the Eagles of Death Metal show in Paris as 'the first direct attack on music'. He later apologised, and U2 incorporated a slide of the Miami Showband into their show. The survivors don't have the luxury of forgetting. The trauma has left an indelible mark. Travers was diagnosed, in later life, with enduring personality change. Lee has, he tells me, experienced profound survivor's guilt. In 2021, Lee was awarded £325,000 compensation, in a package he says was presented to survivors and families as a take-it-or-leave-it deal. He considers the sum to be 'peanuts, for 50 years of anger and pain'. More than financial recompense, he says what he hopes for, with up to five perpetrators still officially unaccounted for, is closure: 'Just tell the world the truth.' My Saxophone Saved My Life by Des Lee with Ken Murray is out now (Red Stripe Press)
