Gun possession accused claimed he would have stored ‘nuclear bomb’ to reduce gambling debt

A man charged with possessing guns and ammunition told gardaí he was under such pressure over a gambling debt that he would have been willing to store “a nuclear bomb” for people.James Cregan (54), whose address cannot be published by court order, appeared at Cork District Court on Friday charged with four separate firearms offences arising from a search at a premises in Cork on Thursday. He is charged with possession of an improvised shotgun, commonly known as a slam-bang shotgun; 67 shotgun cartridges; a .22 calibre long rifle, a Tanfoglio semi-automatic pistol and 20 rounds of long rifle ammunition.Det Garda Jeremy Murphy, of the Cork city divisional drug squad, gave evidence of arrest, charge and caution. He said Cregan made no reply to any of the charges.READ MOREHe said gardaí were objecting to bail due to the seriousness of the charges. He pointed out that the handgun had a bullet in the firing mechanism and three in the magazine.In response to defence barrister Elaine Audley, Murphy accepted that Cregan told him he owed a gambling debt of €6,500 and agreed to store the guns for two days in order to have the debt reduced by €150.Murphy said Cregan told him he was given the guns on October 22nd and had continued to store them for longer because of the debts linked to his gambling addiction.“I have grave concerns that, if granted bail, he will continue to engage in serious criminality,” the detective said. “[Cregan] said himself he was under such serious pressure over his gambling debt that if he was given a nuclear bomb he would have taken it.”Judge David Waters acknowledged it was a serious matter, but he questioned whether it might be resolved with strict bail conditions. He said he could not see the High Court refusing bail if Cregan applied and that Audley had said her client was willing to abide by all conditions.Murphy said gardaí wanted Cregan to reside at a named address and notify them of any change; follow a 10pm to 8am curfew; sign on daily at Cork’s Bridewell Garda station; and provide a mobile phone on which to be contactable at all times.Sgt John Dineen sought a remand on the accused’s own bond of €200 to December 4th. The judge granted the application but warned Cregan that if he failed to meet any of the conditions he would not hesitate to revoke his bail and remand him in custody until that date.