A man who fired shots at a house after threatening to burn it down and made threats to women and gardaí has been given a six year prison sentence.

Daniel Ennis (20) threw a small dog and a paving slab in the direction of four gardaí­ who came to search his back garden in an effort to recover a stolen post bag.

He had also tried to throw a bike at the officers and threatened them with a shovel.

Ennis, of Croftwood Park, Ballyfermot, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to threatening to kill or cause serious harm to the garadí at his home on January 13th, 2014.

He also pleaded guilty to threatening to kill or cause serious harm to Linda Carrie and Lena Tims, threatening to damage property and possession of a firearm at Oranmore Road, Ballyfermot on May 8th, 2015.

Garda Linda Ryan told Una Tighe BL, prosecuting, she and Garda Michelle Doyle were investigating the theft of a stolen postbag and bike from a postman. They tracked a GPS device on the bag to an area near Ennis’s home.

They were looking in back gardens in the area and were searching Ennis’s, with permission from his aunt, when he ran in through a side entrance shouting that they didn’t have a warrant.

He was extremely aggressive and picked up a small bike. He tried to throw it at gardaí­ but was held back by his aunt. He then picked up a shovel but again his aunt took that from him.

Garda Ryan said they told Ennis they were leaving in an attempt to calm him down before two colleagues arrived to assist them in the search.

All four officers again confirmed they were leaving but Ennis picked up a paving slab and threw it at them. The gardaí­ took evasive action and while the slab smashed, no one was injured.

Small dog

Ennis then grabbed a small dog by the scruff of the neck, told the gardaí­ he would get it to bite them and threw the animal at them. The dog yelped and ran off and the gardaí­ left.

Ennis threatened to ram Garda Doyle’s patrol car and told her he would “make sure you are dead”. He then lunged towards Garda Ryan telling her he would drive the spiked, six foot pole he was carrying, through her.

Over a year later, while on bail, Ennis fired shots at a house on Oranmore Road, Ballyfermot, where a woman was sleeping having just been released from hospital.

He had earlier that day told the woman’s daughter, Lena Tims and son’s partner, Linda Carrie, that he would “blow your heads off” and had threatened to burn the older woman’s house down.

Judge Martin Nolan said Ennis displayed an incredibly violent and aggressive stance towards the gardaí who had handled the situation well but had good reason to feel threatened. He said in the second incident Ennis had possession of the firearm for the sole purpose of threatening and terrifying his victim.

He noted Ennis’s youth and said there was hope for reform but due to his behaviour he had to impose a substantial sentence. He imposed consecutive sentences totalling six years and backdated it to May when Ennis went into custody.