Bank robber gets six years
A drug addicted robber who gardaí described as "looking like a ghost" at the time of his arrest for four armed bank raids has sentenced to six years in prison at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Keith Farrell (aged 30), of Bawnlea Crescent, Jobstown, took off all his clothes and ran around the garda station when he was being interviewed in relation to the robberies in which over €15,000 was taken.
"He looks a lot healthier today. He was like a ghost when I last saw him," Garda Anton Keating who arrested Farrell in February 2006 told prosecuting counsel, Mr Colm O Briain BL
Farrell pleaded guilty to robbery of three branches of EBS and one branch of Ulster Bank on dates between November 24, 2005 and February 3, 2006. He had 13 previous convictions, which included drug dealing, road traffic offences and unauthorized interference with a car.
Garda Keating told Mr O Briain that Farrell and another man gave their correct names and addresses when they were stopped by gardaí in Dublin on November 24, 2005.
Thirty minutes later they raided a branch of EBS in Dundrum and robbed €3,000 where Farrell acted as a lookout and his accomplice produced a Stanley knife.
They made no attempt to disguise their faces and were easily identified on CCTV footage as they had been wearing the same clothes they had when stopped by gardaí earlier.
Judge Katherine Delahunt said all the robberies involved "trauma" for Farrell’s victims but accepted that he was ill at the time, his behaviour was erratic and he was "under the influence" of both alcohol and drugs.
"You are an intelligent young man but didn’t complete the college course you started and you had a good work record until the death of your father," Judge Delahunt said.
She suspended the last three years of the sentence having taking into account attempts Farrell has made to rehabilitate himself since his remand in custody.
Garda Keating told Mr O Briain that he arrested Farrell on February 3, 2006 after he was found in the getaway car from a robbery at the EBS in Finglas.
A knife had been used during the raid to threaten staff and customers before he made off with €4,900. There was cash scattered around the car and more cash was found stashed in the boot.
Gda Keating said that Farrell was "very mentally unstable" at the time of his arrest. He took off all his clothes and started running around the station before he told gardaí that his father had recently shot himself and he had nothing to live for.
He agreed with defence counsel, Ms Iseult O’Malley SC, that Farrell was the person who identified his father’s body after he died "in tragic circumstances" in August 2005 and it was following this that Farrell’s life "went very downhill" and he went completely out of control.
Gda Keating accepted that the victims of Farrell’s robberies commented that he looked very strange and was very pale at the time. "I would go as far as to say that he looked near death," he told Judge Delahunt.
Ms O’Malley said Farrell was conscious of the terror he caused the victims but added that he was desperate for money for drugs. He felt he brought a great shame to himself and his family.
