A Dublin man who was charged over the seizure of a firearm after the murder of his son last year has been jailed for six years by the Special Criminal Court.
Stephen Little (47) told gardaí after his arrest that: "had you given me another hour, I would have killed the bastard that killed him".
Little of Kilbarron Avenue, Kilmore, Dublin 5, had pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a Grand Power G9 semi-automatic pistol at Lein Park, Harmonstown, Dublin 5, on September 14, 2019 and was on Monday sentenced to six years by the non-jury court.
Little's son, Sean Little (22), was found shot dead beside a burning car near Balbriggan off the M1 in Dublin on May 21st, 2019.
The non-jury court previously heard that, had Little not made these comments, the case against him would have been weaker and he may not have been charged.
Co-accused Edward McDonnell (56) of Waterside Apartments, New Ross, Co Wexford, was sentenced to nine years for unlawful possession of the semi-automatic weapon at the same date and location.
The two men, who were both remanded in custody before today's hearing, exchanged a fist-bump before their sentencing. Both men had been originally charged with having the weapon with intent to endanger life.
The two were jailed for possession of a firearm in suspicious circumstances, an offence under Section 27A (1) of the Firearms Act.
Loaded handgun
The court heard during the sentence hearing that gardaí recovered a loaded handgun under the passenger seat of an Audi car on the day before McDonnell was forcibly removed from the vehicle. Little had driven McDonnell to the scene.
A number of items, including two baseball caps, two balaclavas and some gloves fell from McDonnell's lap upon arrest and a red petrol can containing liquid as well as a long-handled lighter were also found in the vehicle.
At Monday's sentencing, Mr Justice Tony Hunt said that the case was one of "intended lethality", which was only avoided by Garda intervention. Regarding Little, Mr Justice Hunt said that the accused's motivation was the murder of his son and that it had been accepted that Little was not the man who would pull the trigger.
The judge said that Little had no previous convictions, barring the road traffic offence, and there were positive personal testimonials before the court on his behalf. The judge said Little had been through personal and medical difficulties, which lessened his culpability, and the court would reduce the headline sentence to eight years.
