Robber who shot himself in foot is jailed for 11 years
A crack cocaine and heroin addict who shot himself in the foot after robbing three money bags from a Brinks Allied van has been sentenced to 11 years in prison by Judge Katherine Delahunt.
Garret Lynch (aged 25), of Spring Garden Street, Ballybough later called gardaí to say he had been shot by a motorcyclist in Buckingham Street but gardaí followed a trail of his blood to a basement flat where they found blood covered money bags.
Lynch was spending between €5,000 and €6,000 per week on drugs and also robbed a post office after he and an accomplice cut a hole in the floor of a hairdressers above and accessed it through the ceiling.
He pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to robbery of the Bank of Ireland, Howth Road, Raheny and the post office on Fitzmaurice Road, Finglas, as well as an attempted robbery at Paddy Power Bookmakers office on North Strand Road on dates between November 15, 2004 and July 25, 2006.
Other charges of possession of imitation fire arms and unlawful taking of a car were taken into consideration. His 13 previous convictions included road traffic offences, dangerous driving and assault.
Judge Delahunt accepted that Lynch had made efforts to combat his drug addiction and suspended the last four years of the sentence on strict terms and conditions.
Garda witnesses accepted in cross-examination by Mr Luigi Rea BL, defending, that Lynch carried out the robberies in order to feed his chronic heroin and crack cocaine addiction.
It was also accepted that he had a drug debt arising out of his €5,000 and €6,000 per week habit
Garda Barry Malone told Lúan Ó Braonáin BL, prosecuting, that staff who were loading the Brinks Allied van outside the Bank of Ireland were threatened by Lynch who was wearing a balaclava and holding a gun.
One of the staff then heard a loud bang and saw "something fly over his head" before the raiders got away on a motorcycle. Gardaí later took blood samples from the crime scene.
The call to say that Lynch had been the victim of a shooting on Buckingham Street was then received by gardaí who arrived and saw that Lynch had an injury to his foot.
Gda Malone said they then followed a trail of blood that led to a basement flat where the Brinks Allied money bags were found with blood on them. A blood spattered motorbike was also spotted nearby.
Subsequent DNA analysis later found that the blood found at the crime scene, on the money bags and on the motorbike matched Lynch’s.
He was arrested and charged with armed robbery on January 7, 2006 and was released on bail.
Gda Malone said Lynch was still on bail when he carried out the attempted robbery on Paddy Power's when he and the raiders left the shop with no money.
Detective Garda Tony Gleeson said a stolen BMW was used on the robbery of the Fitzmaurice Road post office on October 4, 2005, when staff saw Lynch and a co-accused come through the ceiling into the shop, having cut a hole in the floor of the hairdressers upstairs.
They were apprehended as they were leaving by staff from a local butchers but managed to escape in the stolen car. Lynch’s palm print was later found on the driver’s door of the car and following his arrest in November that year he made full admissions.
His co-accused who also pleaded guilty to the robbery is due for sentence in October.
