Man caught with a crossbow did not know it was illegal

A man who was brandishing a crossbow near his home did not realise it was illegal in Ireland to have such a weapon, a court heard.

Andrej Vesnebolockij (49) saw the crossbow on a website and bought it online.

Judge John Brennan applied the probation act, leaving the defendant without a conviction, after he heard that Vesnebolockij co-operated fully with gardaí.

The defendant, with an address at Curragh Hall Crescent in Tyrrelstown, admitted possession of a weapon near his home on September 8, 2019.

​Garda Claire Lyons told Blanchardstown District Court that she was called to Curragh Hall Crescent in Tyrrelstown following reports of a man brandishing a crossbow.

Gda Lyons said she spoke to Vesnebolockij, who showed her a domestic bin on the footpath. Gda Lyons said she opened the lid and found the crossbow in the bin.

Defence solicitor Valerie Buckley said the defendant was originally from Lithuania but had lived in Ireland for some years.

He bought the crossbow online and did not realise it was illegal to have such a weapon. In Lithuania, it was not illegal, Ms Buckley said.

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