Brothers jailed for robbery and hijack

They both also pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to the unlawful taking of a car and the robbery of the Centra Shop on the Whitehall Road, Perrystown, on the same date.

Judge Kevin Haugh was told by Mr Michael Hourican BL, defending James, that his client lived in a neighbourhood "ravaged by drug abuse".

Mr Hourican said James was the youngest of 10 children, only one of which did not develop a cocaine habit. Three of the Dempseys’ siblings had died from drug related illness.

Mr Paul Green BL defending David, said his client had a "chequered history of serious offences" but the robbery on the Centra shop was motivated by a debt his brother had incurred.

Judge Haugh sentenced David Dempsey to six years in prison for the shop robbery and five years for hijacking the lorry, which are to be severed concurrently. His sentence is consecutive to a sentence he is currently serving and which finishes in 2007.

He sentenced James Dempsey to concurrent terms of five years for robbery of the shop and two years for hijacking the vehicle. He suspended the last three and half years on condition that he keep the peace and be of good behaviour for a period of three years.

Detective Garda Ronan Lafferty of Sundrive Garda Station told Mr Fergal Foley BL, prosecuting, that the brothers stole their "getaway car" on the morning of February 23 and drove to the shop, where the manager was organising staff wages.

James Dempsey held the toy "cap" gun at the manager’s head and ordered him to hand over the money from the cash office. The manager consented but Dempsey thought there would be more money and threatened to "blow his brains out" if he did not hand over more cash.

Det. Garda Lafferty said David Dempsey was armed with a hammer in the main part of the shop and he ordered one of the shop assistants to hand over the money from the register.

The girl was having difficulty opening the till so David Dempsey pulled the register from its mounting and the brothers fled the shop in the stolen car with €8,500. Only €280 of this was recovered.

Det. Garda Lafferty told Mr Foley they abandoned the car in Ballymount Industrial Estate before they approached the driver of a lorry parked near the Red Cow Roundabout.

The driver was eating his lunch when the Dempseys opened his cab door and armed with the imitation gun used in the robbery ordered him to drive them to a particular location.

Det. Garda Lafferty said they were dropped off on the Galtymore Road in Drimnagh where they gave the driver €30 and offered him the jumper in which they had concealed the gun.

The driver then contacted the gardaí and gave them a description of the perpetrators. David Dempsey was arrested at his home that evening and James contacted the gardaí that same night when his mother told him of his brother’s arrest.

David Dempsey had 37 previous convictions, while his brother had 24 previous convictions.

David Dempsey also pleaded guilty to four charges of robbing handbags from four women, of stealing a car and to dangerous driving on dates between November 5 and November 8, 2003.

James Dempsey pleaded guilty to an additional charge of a robbery of Tommy Moore Jewellers on Camden Street in the city centre where he and a co-accused stole over €4,000 worth of jewellery and €950 in cash on January 24, 2004.

James told Judge Haugh that he was truly ashamed and sorry for the hurt he caused his victims. He said he had never been given a chance on life but had been on methadone since he was remanded in custody in February 2004.

He promised Judge Haugh that if he was given the opportunity he would make the most of his life, saying that he wanted to have kids and a normal life.