The Ditch can reveal that a county Westmeath man pleaded guilty this month to possession of a shotgun last year that should’ve been in garda custody.
Gardaí previously seized the gun in 2009 before it went missing.
The DPP and An Garda Síochána won’t say if and when they informed the man’s legal team that the shotgun should have been with gardaí since it had been seized.
‘It was recorded as being in their possession’
On August 9, 2023, 54-year-old John Nevin and his 32-year-old son David Nevin were arrested after allegedly failing to stop their car for gardaí.
The Nevins, both from Mullingar in county Westmeath, appeared before a special sitting of Longford District Court the following day.
Here it was further alleged during the chase in Mullingar that ended on foot, the men discarded a shotgun and cartridges in a plastic bag that was recovered by gardaí at the scene.
Gardaí discovered two days after the firearm’s seizure that it was recorded as being in their custody since 2009 after being seized during a raid on a property in Leinster.
The DPP and An Garda Síochána declined to comment when asked by The Ditch if and when they had notified the Nevins’ solicitor of this development.
An internal investigation is underway into the disappearance of the firearm from garda custody, as reported by the Irish Times.
On 9 April this year, John Nevin pleaded guilty to possession of the shotgun when he was arraigned before Mullingar Circuit Criminal Court.
Nevin was remanded on bail pending the preparation of a probation report and is due to appear before the court again in June for a pre-sentence mitigation plea.
