MAN AT CENTRE OF GORT SIEGE FOUND NOT GUILTY

Date Published: 15-May-2009

A man charged with having two shotguns and ammunition with intent to endanger life during a siege in Gort has been acquitted by a jury at Galway Circuit Criminal Court Anthony Burke, aged 42, of 67 Crowe Street, Gort, had denied during his eight-day trial that he was in possession of two shotguns and 1400 shotgun cartridges with intent to endanger life at Crowe Street, Gort, between 11 p.m. on October 8, and 9 p.m. on October 9, 2006. He also denied a charge of being in possession of the shotguns in suspicious circumstances during the siege.The jury of seven men and five women took just one hour and twenty minutes to find Mr. Burke not guilty of all three charges but they did find him guilty of being in possession of the shotguns in suspicious circumstances on October 9, 2006.Following the verdict, Mr. Burke and his partner, Margaret Corless looked relieved and happy as they left the courtroom.The Defence applied to the court to have sentencing on the single charge deferred to a later date so that a probation report could be prepared on Mr Burke, who was described as “blemish free” with no previous convictions.Judge Groarke agreed to defer sentencing to July 27 next and directed the preparation of a probation report.