Man (36) sent pic of loaded gun to ex-partner, court told

Tom Tuite

A Dublin man accused of possessing a loaded handgun sent his ex-partner a photo of the firearm and a threat via text message, it has been alleged.

Stephen Ennis (36) of Cashel Road, Crumlin, was charged with unlawful possession of a .22 Makarov pistol in suspicious circumstances at his home address on July 31st.

Ennis was refused bail on Monday by Judge John Brennan at Dublin District Court, which heard the accused was caught "red-handed".

Swords Garda Detective Unit opened an investigation following a complaint from the woman a day before the handgun seizure.

Detective Garda Anthony Cagney told Judge Brennan that the accused "made no reply" to the Firearms Act charge, which on conviction can carry a 14-year sentence.

Dressed in an all-black tracksuit, Ennis had no legal representation due to ongoing industrial action by solicitors as a result of to legal aid payment reforms to District Court case.

He opted to represent himself and was caution by the judge that while he had the right to act for himself in the bail hearing, he needed to be aware of the risk of self-incrimination.

Ennis had been furnished with documents outlining the grounds for objecting to his bail.

Detective Garda Anthony Cagney said further charges could be brought.

Citing the strength of evidence, witness intimidation concerns, and the seriousness of the case, he contended that the accused was unlikely to answer bail and face the charges mounted against him if released.

The detective alleged that on July 30th the woman, who lives in north Dublin, received a phone message on WhatsApp from the accused with a threat and a picture of a firearm on a bed.

Detective Garda Cagney said the woman recognised the bed cover in the picture.

The message disappeared, as a feature of the app, however, gardaí were satisfied that her complaint was genuine, and obtained a warrant to search Mr Ennis's home, the court was told.

Judge Brennan heard that the accused lived in a modular dwelling in the back of his parents' house. The .22 Makarov pistol with five bullets in the magazine was were wrapped in a dishcloth in plastic drawers, the court heard.

Detective Garda Cagney alleged there was a video on the accused's Samsung phone attempting to discharge the weapon roughly two weeks beforehand.

The officer said he was satisfied it was the same weapon.

He alleged that the accused previously threatened his partner that he would kill her and blow up her address.

However, she did not attend the hearing, and the judge said that could not be taken into account in the bail ruling because it was hearsay.

The detective believed the accused would engage in witness intimidation and agreed with the judge that it was his primary concern.

Ennis pleaded for bail, telling the court he lacked legal representation, and could face an 18-month wait until his trial, and would abide by any conditions imposed by the court.

He spoke about his mother's dependence on him to help her in the home and also pointed out that he lives on a different side of the city to the complainant and would not be "anywhere near" her.

Ennis also pointed out that there was no photo evidence before the court and described the detective's evidence as "All lies, all hearsay".

He stressed that he still had the presumption of innocence.

The judge told him that was correct, but based on the seriousness of the evidence and nature of the charge, he withheld bail and remanded him in custody to appear again for directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions to appear again on August 10th.