A 16-year-old caught with a sawn-off shotgun on a public bus in Limerick city has appeared before the local Children's Court.
The teenager - who cannot be named for legal reasons - is charged with possession of a Beretta double-barrelled sawn-off shotgun and five shotgun cartridges at Kileely Road, Limerick, on November 5th last.
He was arrested after gardaí boarded the Bus Éireann vehicle en route to Limerick city at around 5pm on Sunday.
It is understood gardaí were alerted after somebody witnessed the firearm being passed between two people on the bus.
The teenager was arrested and charged at Mayorstone Garda station on Monday night. He appeared before the Children's Court in Limerick yesterday, where Judge Tom O'Donnell remanded him in custody to St Patrick's Institution until November 14th next.
Defence solicitor John Devane described the charge, which he said related to possession of a shotgun on a bus, as "obviously quite serious". He said gardaí were still finalising a number of issues in relation to bail conditions and he was reserving his bail application.
Judge O'Donnell said he would not deal with any bail application in the absence of the accused's parents and remanded the teenager in custody.
Meanwhile, in an unrelated case, a 17-year-old also appeared before the Children's Court yesterday, charged with assaulting a priest. It is alleged the teenager, along with another, forced their way into the priest's house in the north side of Limerick city in the early hours of November 6th.
The accused is alleged to have hit the priest on the side of the head with a blunt wooden object. He suffered a cut that required stitches, the court heard.
Judge Tom O'Donnell remanded the teenager in custody with consent to bail on his own bond of €100 and an independent surety of €1,500.