Former boxing champion had sawn-off shotgun in public park
By Declan Brennan
A FORMER All-Ireland junior boxing champion, whose alcohol misuse ended his career, has been jailed for having a sawn-off shotgun in a public park.
Mark Carlyle (28) of Derry Park, Crumlin pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to unlawful possession of a firearm at Pearse Park, Windmill rd, Crumlin on June 21, 2015.
Carlyle’s 108 previous convictions include assault of a garda, obstructing a garda, 21 for threatening and abusive behaviour, intoxication in a public place, dangerous driving and permitting a horse to pose a danger to the public.
Judge Martin Nolan said Carlyle had been a very good boxer but had made many bad choices. He said his many previous convictions for serious offences had to be taken into consideration.
He imposed a three-year custodial sentence which he backdated to last May.
Detective Garda Kelly Dutton told Fiona Murphy BL, prosecuting, that Carlyle had a package wrapped up in plastic when he met with four other men in the park.
The men were examining the package and there was some jostling and a witness heard a bang, the court heard.
The witness described seeing a man fitting Carlyle’s description unwrapping the plastic packaging and saw a sawn-off shotgun. He saw Carlyle walking off then and called gardai.
Gardai arrived and approached Carlyle who took off running, Det Garda Dutton said. The gun was found in some undergrowth and was found to be a 12-gauge semi-automatic shotgun with 12-gauge cartridges.
Carlyle was arrested on the night for another matter, but forensic tests found he had firearms residue on his clothes.
Dominic McGinn SC, prosecuting, told the court that his client was intoxicated on the night and many of his convictions were related to his drinking.
He said Carlyle was a boxing champion in his youth. He began boxing at the age of 7 and at 19 he was an All-Ireland champion.
“After that drinking took over and his boxing declined to zero,” counsel said.
He said he threw his talent away in a downward spiral of drink and criminal convictions, but he had stopped drinking and had committed to not drinking again.
