Man committed knife-point robberies while out on bail
By Brion Hoban
A man who committed a series of knife-point robberies while on bail for earlier robberies has been jailed for three-and-a-half years.
Richard O’Doherty (24) of Kilfenora Road, Crumlin pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to robberies at Maxol Station, Harold’s Cross and Centra, Kimmage Road Lower, both on June 23, 2019.
Dublin Circuit Criminal Court
O’Doherty also pleaded guilty to robberies on Kimmage Road Lower, on August 8, 2019, November 24, 2019, and November 25, 2019. He pleaded guilty to a further count of attempted robbery at Spar, Rathmines Road Lower, on December 20, 2019.
Garda Stephen Forster told Kieran Kelly BL, prosecuting, that on the date in June, O’Doherty entered the Maxol petrol station with a knife and told a shop assistant to give him money. He grabbed the till and took cash from it.
Garda Forster said that later the same day, O’Doherty entered the Centra, shouting to give him money and lunged at a shop assistant with a knife. He swung the knife again before taking around €500 from the till.
Detective Garda Tom Wafer told Mr Kelly that on the earlier date in November, O’Doherty entered a Mace store with a knife and demanded the entire till or he would stab the shop keeper. The shop keeper managed to take the knife from him after he had grabbed some cash and the accused ran off.
Det Garda Wafer said the following day the accused entered an Applegreen service station holding a knife and again succeeded in stealing money from the till.
Garda Brian McLoughlin told Mr Kelly that on the date in December, O’Doherty entered the Spar armed with a knife and demanded that the staff hand over money. Instead, O’Doherty was first confronted by a member of staff and then pursued out of the shop by the owner.
Garda McLoughlin said that upon his arrest, gardai connected O’Doherty to another robbery committed the previous August. During this robbery, the accused again entered a shop with a knife and took cash from the till.
O’Doherty has no previous conviction. He was on bail for the robberies in June when he committed all subsequent offences.
Keith Spencer BL, defending, said that his client became addicted to cocaine and valium and that this addiction resulted in these offences. He said his client led an unblemished life prior to these offences and is now clean of drugs.
Judge Martin Nolan sentenced O’Doherty to three years imprisonment for the earliest robbery. He sentenced him to a further two years imprisonment for the later offences and ordered that the sentences run consecutively to each other.
Judge Nolan then suspended the final 18 months of the sentence on strict conditions, resulting in an effective term of imprisonment of three-and-a-half years.
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