Posted by ‘Foolish’ |
Man caught with pepper spray and knife at Dublin airport avoids criminal record
The court heard Merobel Lewis (35) had come to Dublin to seek work
Today at 06:20
An airplane passenger caught with a knuckle duster, pepper spray and a knife in his luggage had “foolishly” forgotten to take them out when he packed.
The weapons were found in Merobel Lewis’s bags in a random search as he came through customs at Dublin Airport after flying from India.
He said he had the knuckle-duster and pepper spray to protect himself after an attack by a cousin at home and forgot to take them out before coming here looking for work.
Judge Treasa Kelly applied the Probation Act, leaving him without a criminal record.
Lewis (35), from Goa, India, pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of weapons at the airport on May 16.
A garda told Dublin District Court he was called to Terminal 1 by customs officers who said they had stopped the accused for a random search of his luggage, which had been in the plane’s hold.
When his bags were scanned they were found to contain the three items.
The accused told gardaí he had been physically assaulted by his cousin and had the weapons for self defence.
He said the knife was a box-cutter to use “if I order something from Amazon”. He had no previous convictions.
Lewis had come to Dublin to seek work, and had no job lined up or friends here.
He had lived for a time in the UK but flew from India on the day, his solicitor Andrew Broderick said.
The items had been lying at the bottom of his bag and he had not intended bringing them here but when he packed, he forgot to take them out, Mr Broderick said.
“He knows it was a very foolish thing to do, not to double-check his bag.”
The accused had a Portuguese passport and was entitled to be here.
“Hopefully he can move past this and set up a good life for himself,” Mr Broderick said.
Judge Kelly said it was “unacceptable” to have weapons in your luggage.
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