Liam Byrne, the head of the Dublin branch of the Kinahan organised crime group, is determined to live a good and honest life whenever he is released from prison, the Old Bailey in London was told this afternoon.
The 43-year-old, who has pleaded guilty to firearms offences as part of a plot to secure a reduced sentence for his brother-in-law, 57-year-old Thomas Kavanagh, on drugs charges, never wants to find himself in this position again.
Byrne has been in a High Security Unit on 23-hour lock down in Belmarsh prison since 23 June in what his counsel Jeremy Dein described as "the harshest conditions".
He has only seen his partner of 27 years, Simoan McEnroe, four times since then, and his eldest son, who is 24, twice.
He has not seen his two youngest, who are 14 and 9, at all.
It was six months before visits were authorised.
Defence counsel submitted that Byrne was a spray painter who also dealt in cars but has not offended for more than 25 years. A firearms conviction he received was for an imitation gun he had when he was 17 and "mixed up with other youths when he was very young".
Byrne's father, James 'Jaws' Byrne, and his cousin, Liam Roe, both died while he was in custody. The court was told he was "extremely distressed" that he lost them, particularly his father, and he was deprived of the opportunity to mourn his death because he was "sitting in court on day of the funeral unable to communicate with his family".
Defence counsel for Byrne, Kavanagh and 38-year-old Shaun Kent from Liverpool, submitted to the judge that he should not sentence them for a Category 1 firearms offence because there was no harm to any party, the guns were never used but were part of an attempt to pervert the course of justice and secure Kavanagh a lighter sentence.
Kent messaged Byrne about Kavanagh's increased frustration at the lack of progress in securing the weapons, saying "he will end up cracking heads mate" if they did not get the guns.
The court was also told that they were also told the RPG (rocket propelled grenades) and C4 explosives were available but they did not receive them.
Byrne was also told to get as many weapons as he could - "mate, try and get as many as you can, only chance he's got of getting a good result out of this case" - while the court was told that Byrne could source Glock pistols for €3,500 each.
Thomas Kavanagh's defence counsel told the court that he was a 57-year-old man who was serving a lengthy sentence and that the effect of a consecutive sentence on him should be borne in mind.
He also said that Kavanagh had saved considerable time and expense by pleading guilty. It costs £30,000 a day to bring him from Belmarsh to court, a saving which his defence said he should be given credit for.
Judge Philip Katz said there was a lot to consider and is expected to pass sentence on all three tomorrow.
Kavanagh, the leader of the Kinahan organised crime group in the UK, directed Byrne and Kent to collect and stockpile firearms so he could act as an informant and get a lighter sentence for drug smuggling.
The plot was described at the sentence hearing in the Central Criminal Court in London as "a put up job" which failed when the French police "cracked" the secure criminal messaging system EncroChat.
The court was also told today that while trying to buy the firearms, they were given a fake plastic gun by a criminal in Manchester.
Prosecuting counsel Tom Forster told the court that Kavanagh was serving three years for possession of a stun gun and was then convicted of smuggling multiple kilos of cocaine and cannabis.
He knew he was facing a "considerable period in prison" and his plan was to assemble as many weapons and as much ammunition as possible which he could get from criminals.
These would be hidden for Kavanagh to "reveal to the authorities" and "fool" them that his "assistance was genuine", so he could "get a considerable discount" on his sentence.
The prosecution said Kavanagh along with Byrne and Kent had "orchestrated" this "put up job".
Ultimately, however, "his plan came to nothing".
The guns were planted and discovered buried in a hole in the ground in Newry, Co Down. Two holdalls were found with 11 firearms and ammunition.
The plot was discovered when the French authorities "cracked" the EncroChat criminal communications system and the messages between the conspirators involved in the plot were revealed.
The prosecution says they "provided a snapshot of criminal activity".
Each Encrochat device had a user name handle, Kavanagh was referred to as "Pops" "Big Head" or "Our Mate".
He directed the operation from behind bars and even though he had no EncroChat device he used Shaun Kent as "a messenger boy" and relayed messages back and forth to him through "a middle man" who was another inmate.
Liam Byrne was known as "liquid burn" and "thailive" and was directed by Kavanagh to get as many guns and ammunition as possible. He went to various sources including criminals and underworld gun dealers in Manchester and Liverpool.
Shaun Kent was known as "Firm Cleaner" and "Marcos Kafu". Although the leader of the Byrne organised crime group, the court was told he was "subordinate" to his brother in law in the plot but still played "a leading role". Both were "big cogs".
He went to various sources including criminals and underworld gun dealers in Manchester and Liverpool.
Although the leader of the Byrne organised crime group, the court was told he was "subordinate" to his brother-in-law in the plot but still played "a leading role". Both were "big cogs".
The EncroChat messages read out in court today referred to getting as many guns and ammunition in as short a time as possible, putting them "big things in", "stuff that makes a loud noise", "putting a bag in a field", "tools" in Ireland and the UK, "40 small ones here", "sweets", which refer to ammunition, a "scor", which is a scorpion pistol, "ten big ones", "we get as many as we can," "two glocks," "ten big yokes in two holdalls" "25 things in the flat", "spinner" which is slang for a revolver, "pumps" for pump action shotguns and comments such as "which will add up nicely" during the plot.
The quantity and variety of weapons along with their dealings with various other criminals and associates were also discussed.
The figures discussed for payment of the weapons ranged from £14,000 to £86,000.
The court was also told there was "a considerable falling out" after they were given a plastic gun weighed down to make it seem real during their dealings with a criminal in Manchester who had agreed to sell them guns.
When the guns were gathered and planted, Kavanagh through his solicitor contacted the National Crime Agency and told them he wanted to provide information on a cache of weapons from the Netherlands to Ireland.
He provided them with instructions on where to find them and a map with "X marks the spot" the court was told.
Eleven guns and ammunition were subsequently found in two holdalls buried in Newry.
The plot however was uncovered and failed and Kavanagh was subsequently jailed for 21 years for drug dealing.
The prosecution also told Judge Philip Katz that Byrne and Kent were not right at the top in this plot but "they play leading roles".
All three have pleaded guilty.
Kavanagh, Kent and Byrne admitted two counts of conspiracy to possession of a prohibited weapon and two counts of conspiracy to possessing ammunition for a firearm without a certificate between 9 January 2020 and 3 June 2021.
Kavanagh and Kent admit perverting the course of justice.
Defence counsel for Thomas Kavanagh has now commenced his address in mitigation and says he will be dealing with the issue of concurrent rather than consecutive sentences.
The sentence hearing is continuing at the Old Bailey in London.
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