Heroin addict gets 10 years for armed robberies
A chronic heroin addict who robbed one premises twice in four days during a spate of eight armed robberies has been given a 10 year sentence by Judge Katherine Delahunt at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Patrick O’Connell (aged 31) of Saint Nathy’s House, Churchtown was 12 when he began abusing drugs and was on High Court bail when he robbed the first of eight premises on January 18, 2005.
O’Connell, a father of one, then absconded to the North and carried out three robberies before returning to Dublin where he was arrested after more crimes. He later received a three-year jail term for his crimes in the North.
He pleaded guilty to the eight robberies, five of which were carried out in the same week, on dates between January 18, 2005 and September 27, 2006. He was on bail for the first set of robberies when he raided the final premises and got away with a total of €2,810 in cash.
Judge Delahunt imposed consecutive sentences totalling ten years and suspended the final two years on conditions.
Detective Garda Ronan Waldron told prosecuting counsel, Mr Colm O Briain BL, that Martin replied: "Shut the f*** up. I have a son myself and I am not going to shoot you", when a female staff member pleaded with him not to shoot her because she had a baby boy during his second robbery of a Spar Shop in Dublin 6w.
O’Connell used an imitation hand gun and on one occasion a knife, to threaten staff in Spar Shops, Paddy Power Bookmakers and various newsagents, telling one shop manager that the gun was "fully loaded and I’ll have no problem shooting your kneecaps" if he didn’t hand over money from the till.
A subsequent search of O’Connell’s home revealed a toy handgun and €1,580 in cash, €1,470 which was returned to his partner.
Det Gda Waldron said that O’Connell eventually admitted all the robberies after being shown stills from CCTV footage of the raids.
He had 24 previous convictions, including the three from the North, assault, criminal damage and road traffic offences.
Det Gda Waldron agreed with Mr Giollaiosa O Lideadha SC, defending, that although the robberies were "traumatic and shocking experiences" for O’Connell’s victims, they had all since made full recoveries
Mr O Lideadha said O’Connell started taking drugs when he was 12-years-old, was smoking heroin by the age of 15 and injecting the drug by the time he was 17 and knew he was now in "very deep water" but asked Judge Delahunt to accept that the crimes were motivated by a need to feed his heroin addiction.
He was now committed to "doing what it takes to free himself" from his habits and had been assessed by a drug treatment centre.
