Eight year sentence for man who transported firearms
A nervous robber who handed himself in but then fell back into crime while on bail by transporting firearms to pay off a drug debt has been given an eight year sentence at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Anthony Keegan, (aged 27) carried out a series of robberies in 2002 but absconded to England after being charged. He turned himself in to garda four years later but returned to crime to pay off a €3,000 debt.
Keegan, of Kilbarron Drive, Artane, pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm at Dunleer Street on April 19, 2006 and robberies of three EBS stores between January and May 2002.
Judge Katherine Delahunt noted that Keegan had used a toy gun in the robberies but told him: "Your victims were not to know this and the trauma for them was very significant."
Judge Delahunt imposed consecutive sentences totalling eight years and suspended the final two years.
Garda Dermot Treacy told Mr Pieter Le Vert BL, prosecuting, that he stopped a van driven by Keegan on April 19, 2006 after he disobeyed a traffic signal and noticed he appeared "nervous and anxious".
Garda Treacy said he saw a narrow canvas bag in the van and asked what was in it. Keegan told him it was not his van and he thought it contained fishing rods but on inspection it was found to hold a rifle.
Garda Treacy agreed with Mr Paul O'Higgins SC, (with Mr Patrick Reynolds BL), that Keegan knew whatever was in the bag was illegal but he was transporting it to pay off part of a €3,000 drug debt.
He agreed that Keegan said he would receive "a few slaps" for not completing the delivery.
Detective Garda David O’Leary told Mr Le Vert that Keegan produced a gun in front of a staff member at a work hatch in EBS Sutton on May 9, 2002 and put a plastic bag under the counter demanding cash.
The staff member said Keegan looked "more nervous then anybody else" and this put her at ease. Keegan left with €3,130 after being confronted by a manger.
Det Garda O’Leary said that on January 28, 2002, Keegan and another man, who was wearing a balaclava, entered EBS Whitehall and approached the cash desk.
Keegan put a plastic bag under the counter while the other man produced a gun and waved it at the shop assistant. Both men shouted at the assistant to put money into the bag and got away with €6,809.
Detective Garda John Kelly said a Keegan and another man, who wielded a hammer to keep customers back, approached the cash desk of EBS, Crumlin Road on April 13, 2002. Keegan put a gun up to the security screen and demanded cash. The men got away with €3,500 before staff hit the panic button.
Det Garda O’Leary said Keegan was arrested after a search of his house and charged with the offences.
Detective Gda Kelly agreed with Mr O'Higgins that Keegan then absconded to England for four years before returning with "a desire to get out of the spiral which he had fallen into" and "informing on himself" by phoning gardai to tell them where he was and waiting for them to arrive.
He agreed that the robberies were "unsophisticated" and fuelled by a "burning desire for heroin" to feed his habit which cost him €800 a week at that time.
Mr O'Higgins said that Keegan had slipped back into crime while on bail after handing himself in for the robberies because he was under pressure to pay off drug debts. He said Keegan was now entirely drug free and was anxious to close this chapter in his life.
