Glen Ward pleads guilty to possession of AR-15 rifle in Finglas, Dublin
Glen Ward, a 32-year-old man, pleaded guilty on 21 March 2025 at the Special Criminal Court to possession of a .223 calibre Remington AR-15 semi-automatic rifle at an address in Finglas, Dublin, on 1 January 2022. His brother, Eric O'Driscoll, 23, had previously pleaded guilty to possession of the same gun. The rifle was recovered during a search of the Finglas home in February 2022, along with a military-grade submachine gun and ammunition, and video footage from a phone seized by gardaí showed the weapon being fired at the address. Ms Justice Melanie Greally adjourned Ward's sentencing to a date in April 2025.
- Reportednot reported
- Arrestednot reported
- Chargednot reported
- In courtnot reported
- Convicted21 Mar
3 reports - Sentenced
Key facts
consolidated from all reports- What happened
- Glen Ward, 32, pleaded guilty to possession of a .223 calibre Remington AR-15 semi-automatic rifle at an address in Finglas on 1 January 2022.
- Eric O'Driscoll, 23, Ward's brother, previously pleaded guilty to possession of the same gun.
- Video footage from a phone seized by gardaí showed the AR-15 being fired at the Finglas address.
- Another clip showed the firearms seized in February 2022 laid out on a table at the same Finglas address.
- Where
- The offence is alleged to have occurred at an address in Finglas, Dublin.
- When
- The offence is alleged to have occurred on 1 January 2022.
- Investigation
- During a search of a home in Finglas in February 2022, gardaí recovered the semi-automatic rifle along with a military-grade submachine gun and ammunition.
- The guns were found to be in good condition and were successfully fired by a garda ballistics examiner.
- In June 2022, gardaí conducted an unrelated search of a taxi on the Tolka Valley Road and found a bank card in Eric O'Driscoll's name and a phone connected to the defendant.
- In court
- Ward appeared at the three-judge, non-jury Special Criminal Court on 21 March 2025.
- Ms Justice Melanie Greally adjourned sentencing to a date in April 2025.
18 statements extracted from the articles
- whatGlen Ward pleaded guilty to possession of a .223 calibre Remington AR-15 semi-automatic rifle at an address in Finglas on 1 January 2022. (irishtimes.com, irishmirror.ie)
- whatVideo footage from a phone seized by gardaí showed the weapon being fired. (irishtimes.com)
- whatAnother clip showed the firearms seized in February 2022 laid out on a table at the same Finglas address. (irishtimes.com)
- whatVideo footage from a phone seized by gardai showed the weapon being fired at the Finglas address. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatAnalysts found a video clip on the phone showing O'Driscoll taking the AR-15 rifle from another man and firing it from the rear of a home in Finglas. (irishmirror.ie, dublinlive.ie)
- whatIn another clip, the firearms seized in February 2022 were filmed laid out on a table at the same Finglas address. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatGlen Ward pleaded guilty to possession of a .223 calibre Remington AR-15 semi-automatic rifle. (dublinlive.ie)
- whatEric O'Driscoll, 23, previously pleaded guilty to possession of the same gun. (dublinlive.ie)
- whatAnother clip showed the firearms seized in February 2022 laid out on a table at the same address in Finglas. (dublinlive.ie)
- whereThe rifle was in possession at an address in Finglas, Dublin. (dublinlive.ie)
- whenThe offence is alleged to have occurred on 1 January 2022. (dublinlive.ie)
- investigationDuring a search of a home in Finglas in February 2022, gardaí recovered the semi-automatic rifle along with a military grade submachine gun and ammunition. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationThe guns were found to be in good condition and were successfully fired by a garda ballistics examiner. (irishtimes.com, irishmirror.ie, dublinlive.ie)
- investigationDuring a search of a home in Finglas in February 2022, gardai recovered the semi-automatic rifle along with a military grade sub-machine gun and ammunition. (irishmirror.ie, dublinlive.ie)
- investigationIn June 2022, gardai conducted an unrelated search of a taxi on the Tolka Valley Road and found a bank card in Eric O'Driscoll's name and a phone connected to the defendant. (irishmirror.ie, dublinlive.ie)
- courtWard appeared at the three-judge, non-jury Special Criminal Court. (irishtimes.com, dublinlive.ie)
- courtMs Justice Melanie Greally adjourned sentencing until a date in April 2025. (irishtimes.com, irishmirror.ie, dublinlive.ie)
- courtGlen Ward appeared at the three-judge, non-jury Special Criminal Court. (irishmirror.ie)
The reporting
newest first- 21 Mar2025Man pleads guilty to possession of semi-automatic rifle at house in Dublin
Glen Ward's guilty plea at the Special Criminal Court; sentencing adjourned to April 2025. Details of the February 2022 search of the Finglas home and the video evidence linking the gun to the address are provided.
accused, Glen Ward, 32, male, named, irish (judged from name)Glen Wardaccused, Eric O'Driscoll, 23, male, named, irish (judged from name)Eric O'Driscoll - 21 Mar2025Dublin man pleads guilty to possession of semi-automatic rifle
Adds detail that video footage from a phone seized by gardai showed the AR-15 being fired at the Finglas address, that the guns were confirmed in good condition by a ballistics examiner, and that sentencing was adjourned by Ms Justice Melanie Greally to a date in April 2025.
suspect, Glen Ward, 32, male, named, irish (judged from name)Glen Wardsuspect, Eric O'Driscoll, 23, male, named, irish (judged from name)Eric O'Driscoll - 21 Mar2025Man pleads guilty to possession of semi-automatic rifle at house in Finglas
Provides details of the evidence: video footage from a phone showing the AR-15 being fired, the February 2022 search that recovered the rifle and a submachine gun, the June 2022 taxi search that led to the phone, and the ballistics examination. Sentencing adjourned to April 2025.
suspect, Glen Ward, 32, male, named, irish (judged from name)Glen Wardsuspect, 23, male, irish (judged from name)