A Limerick criminal threw down the gauntlet to gardaí warning, if they did not back off, a certain detective’s house would be burned down, writes Jimmy Wolfe from the Irish Examiner.

As a result, special security measures were put in place to protect the family of Det Garda Pat Whelan and their home, Limerick Circuit Court was told.

Darren O’Halloran, aged 31 of Aurea Cottage, Dublin Road, Limerick was found guilty by a jury last Friday to charges of threatening to kill Det Garda Whelan and threatening to damage property.

At a sentencing hearing yesterday, Insp Padraic Byrnes said Det Garda Whelan was among a party of gardaí who went to the address of the accused on March 29, 2015. They had an arrest warrant for Halloran’s brother who they found hiding in the attic.

As the gardaí left, O’Halloran made a remark to Det/Garda Whelan about being on a white horse clip-clopping at Christmas time through a village near to where he lived.

Det Garda Whelan took a phone call at Henry Street garda headquarters in Limerick on April 2, 2015, and put the call on loud speaker.

O’Halloran identified himself and said: “Look Pat, we’ll do no more crime if ye back off me and Aaron (O’Hallolran’s brother).”

Det Garda Whelan made it clear to the accused he would not back off and O’Halloran became aggressive.

O’Halloran told Det Garda Whelan: “I will kill ye, you c.. with your big yellow house and I will burn it to the ground. Don’t be coming to my house in the middle of the night.” O’Halloran, with 76 previous convictions, was on bail at the time.

Insp Byrnes said: “The threat was taken very seriously as it was known O’Halloran had the capacity to carry it out. Steps were taken and garda patrols were put in place near Det Garda Whelan’s house until the time of his arrest.”

Judge Tom O’Donnell, sentencing O’Halloran to four years, said it was unacceptable for a serving member of An Garda Siochana and his family to be subjected to serious threats.