‘Gardai ended up in bathtub during struggle with gunman’ Court hears of gangland criminal fight
THREE gardai had a dramatic struggle with a man armed with a machine gun while a grenade lay on the floor, a court heard yesterday.
The non-jury hearing was given the evidence during the sentencing of Derek Devoy, 37, from Balbutcher Lane, Ballymun.
The gangland thug had pleaded guilty to possessing a Makarov sub-machine gun with intent to endanger life or cause serious injury at Crannogue Road in the area on March 11 last year. Devoy also pleaded guilty to two charges under Section 19 of the Public Order Act for assaulting a Garda and a Garda Sgt on the same date.
Devoy has also pleaded guilty to possessing an explosive substance – a Yugoslavian M75 hand grenade – with intent to endanger life or cause serious injury to property on the same occasion, and 11 rounds of 9mm ammunition.
Det Sgt Stephen O’keeffe told the prosecuting barrister at the Special Criminal Court that at around 4.35pm on the day three officers chased Devoy from Doon Court, he was observed by a member of the public letting off two rounds from the sub-machine gun.
The chase ended up in the bathroom extension of a separate family’s house on Crannogue Road when gardai found Devoy sitting on the toilet with the gun. Det Sgt O’keefe said the three officers jumped on Devoy “in a split second” but all three ended up in the bathtub before he could be restrained.
The court heard a garda narrowly avoided being shot as the gun went off with the bullet passing his eye-line.
After restraining Devoy, the gardai saw a grenade on the ground with the pin out – it did not go off and was later detonated in a controlled explosion by army experts at the scene.
Mr Justice Hunt adjourned the case to July 23.