The State has failed in an attempt to review the nine-year suspended sentence handed down to a brother of Brian Meehan, the man serving life imprisonment for the murder of journalist Veronica Guerin.

A chronic drug addict who raided four convenience stores and terrified the staff and customers has been remanded on bail pending sentence because of evidence given in court that he has turned his life around.

A brother of Brian Meehan, the man serving life imprisonment for the murder of Veronica Guerin, has been jailed for six years for committing a series of robberies armed with knives after relapsing into heroin addiction.

The State has failed in a bid to reactivate the six-year balance of a sentence on the brother of Brian Meehan. Brian Meehan is currently serving a life sentence for the murder of journalist Veronica Guerin.