A west Belfast man has been jailed for two-and-half-years for having a gun, magazine and ammunition in his home.
Gerard Mullan (37), of Cavanmore Gardens, was told by Belfast Recorder Judge Stephen Fowler QC yesterday that he will spend a further 30 months on supervised licence on his release from prison.
Mullan had previously pleaded guilty to charges of possessing a gun and three rounds of ammunition inside a magazine without a certificate.
The prosecution said that police searched Mullan's flat in June 2020 following a tip-off.
Behind his bedroom door, officers found a Makarov pistol inside a plastic bag. A magazine containing three rounds of ammunition were found in a chest of drawers.
Defence solicitor Paul Farrell argued the court could impose less than 50 per cent of a sentence in custody given the current Covid restrictions in prison and the fact that Mullan cannot take part in any drug addiction programmes.
But a prosecution lawyer argued that that there was ''nothing on the papers'' that would allow the court to deviate from a 50-50 split between custody and probation.
During police interviews, Mullan denied all knowledge of the weapon and told detectives that 50 women had passed through his house in recent weeks.
However, the prosecution cited a Probation Service report in which Mullan claimed he had the gun for personal protection because he was "under threat''.
"There is absolutely no right of anyone to arm themselves in advance in the way in which this accused is suggesting,'' said the prosecution lawyer.
In a pre-sentence report, the Probation Service found Mullan has a high likelihood of re-offending but does not pose a danger to the public.
The report also said he had been abusing drugs from his teens and had progressed to taking harder drugs including heroin.
The court heard Mullan had no previous convictions for firearm offences but had 41 entries on his criminal record for driving and drug offences.
Passing a five year sentence, Judge Fowler said the firearm found by police was a "functioning Makarov handgun with magazine and bullets readily available in close proximity''.
The Belfast Recorder said it was clear from the Probation Service report that Mullan had acquired the gun to "protect himself...this was a dangerous weapon in the hands of a drug addict with mental health problems to shoot and injure someone if that was necessary''.
