Gardaí are seeing an upturn in blank pistols that have been modified to turn them into lethal weapons capable of firing live rounds, a murder trial has heard.
Detective Garda Janette O'Neill said one such firearm caused the 2022 death of Sean McCarthy, whose body was left in a wardrobe for four days after he had been shot dead.
Dean Caffrey (38) denies Mr McCarthy's murder and is on trial at the Central Criminal Court.
Det Gda O'Neill told prosecution counsel Kathleen Noctor SC that the firearm retrieved by gardaí investigating Mr McCarthy's death was a Zoraki blank pistol that had been converted to a semi-automatic pistol capable of firing .32 inch calibre ammunition.
The gun was in "fair condition" with slight rusting on the outside and heavy rust on the inside of the barrel. It measured 145 millimetres in length and weighed just under half a kilogram.
The detective successfully fired a number of rounds using the gun and concluded that it was an illegal firearm under the Firearms Act.
Det Gda O'Neill told defence counsel Lorcan Staines SC that in its original form, the gun could have been used as a starting pistol at sporting events, as a theatre prop or for someone looking to get used to holding and firing a gun.
At some point, it was deliberately modified with a new barrel to turn it into a firearm "capable of killing someone". The serial number had also been deliberately removed.
Det Gda O'Neill said it is illegal to modify a gun in that way but she said such weapons "have become more popular" and appear to be coming in from Europe.
She could not say if they were related to gangland activity. The markings left on the bullets fired from the gun in this case were analyzed and compared to a database of firearms used in other crimes. There were no matches, she said.
Dean Caffrey of Beaucort, Achill Road, Drumcondra, Dublin 9 has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Sean McCarthy on a date between August 2nd and 7th 2022, both dates inclusive, in the State.
Ms Noctor has previously told the jury that following his arrest, Mr Caffrey told gardaí that in return for a drug debt, he agreed to allow the deceased to use his apartment to store drugs.
Mr Caffrey told gardaí that Mr McCarthy later accused him of stealing heroin, came to his apartment with a gun and threatened that he would "leave in a body bag" if he didn't pay him €5,000.
During a struggle Mr Caffrey said he managed to secure the firearm and discharged it in the direction of the deceased, inflicting the fatal wound.
However, the prosecution intends to prove that Mr Caffrey intended to kill or cause serious injury when he discharged the firearm and that he is guilty of murder.
Gda Lorcan Byrne told Ms Noctor that he is a member of the Garda Water Unit and was tasked with searching the Tolka River near a footbridge in Griffith Park as part of the investigation into Mr McCarthy's death.
From a bank near the bridge beside Woodville Road, Gda Byrne said he could see a pistol in about 30cm of water.
He retrieved it and made it safe by removing the magazine and checking for a bullet in the chamber. There was no ammunition and no spent cartridges in the gun or the magazine, he said.
Gda Byrne showed the gun to the jury and demonstrated how it is loaded and made safe.
Det Sgt Kieran Devine told Ms Noctor that on August 6th 2022, he became aware that Mr Caffrey had attended Ashbourne Garda Station and given information regarding the death of Mr McCarthy.
He said he was later informed Mr Caffrey had told gardaí that he had discarded the firearm in the stream at Griffith Park, close to a bridge. Gda Devine made sure the area was cordoned off to be searched the following day by Gda Byrne.
The trial continues on Tuesday in front of Mr Justice Paul McDermott and a jury of seven men and five women.
