Suspended prison sentence for man who robbed Maxol station
By Declan Brennan
A businessman who turned to drugs after the break-up of his marriage has received a suspended prison sentence after a judge noted his impressive efforts to rehabilitate.
Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that Michael Doherty (39) formerly ran a wine business and also had a business delivering lunches to schools.
Dublin Circuit Criminal Court
On March 31, 2017 he went into a Maxol station in Lucan, south Dublin and threatened staff with a claw hammer.
He shouted at staff to “open the fucking till”. When the till wouldn’t open Doherty struck down on it with the hammer and took the cash.
He ran out of the shop with around €400 in cash and left in a black car. Gardai were able to link the car back to Doherty and arrested him.
Doherty, of Kilclare Crescent, Jobstown, Tallaght, later pleaded guilty to robbery of Kim
Heffernan at Maxol, Newcastle Road, Lucan.
Garda Damien O’Reilly told Diana Stuart BL, prosecuting, that his 24 previous convictions were mainly for road traffic offences.
He agreed with Sarah-Jane O’Callaghan BL, defending, that this offence was out of character.
She told the court that the failure of Doherty’s marriage had a devastating effect on him and he wasn’t able to cope.
He began abusing drugs and this led to the failure of his business, she said. Counsel said Doherty carried out the robbery because he needed money to feed his addiction. She said he was ashamed of his actions.
Judge Melanie Greally set a sentence of three-and-a-half years but suspended this after noting he was addicted to drugs at the time and had made “very impressive efforts to rehabilitate”.
She ordered that he engaged in offence and victim focused work with the Probation Service.
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