A Gort man, involved in a 21 hour siege with Gardaí in October of 2006, has denied he intended to endanger life during the incident.
42 year old Anthony Burke, of Crowe Street in Gort has gone on trial at Galway Circuit Criminal Court charged with a number of offences arising from the incident on the 8th October 2006 at his address.
A Gort man, involved in a 21 hour siege with Gardaí in October of 2006, has denied he intended to endanger life during the incident.
42 year old Anthony Burke, of Crowe Street in Gort has gone on trial at Galway Circuit Criminal Court charged with a number of offences arising from the incident on the 8th October 2006 at his address.
The court was told that Mr Burke’s partner and children fled their home in Gort on the night of Sunday the 8th October, 2006 following a domestic dispute where Mr Burke fired shots indiscriminately.
The accused has admitted charges of causing criminal damage to four cars, to damaging a lighting unit, of recklessly discharging a firearm and to charges of having possession of two shotguns along with 1300 to 1400 rounds of ammunition with intent to cause serious injury to property
He has denied charges of having possession of the shotguns with intent to endanger life and has also pleaded not guilty to a charge of having possession of the weapons in suspicious circumstances.
The court was told that on the night in question Gardaí were alerted to reports of shots being fired from a house at Crowe St in the town.
This led to a 21 hour siege between the accused and Gardaí which ended when a member of the Garda Emergency Response Unit shot Anthony Burke as he emerged from his home with his gun pointed at Gardaí.
The case continues
