Robber threatened to cut out shop assistant’s eye

A MAN who threatened to kill and to cut out the eye of a sales assistant at a jewellery shop, if she continued to look at a panic button, was jailed for nine years yesterday.

Jamie Coughlan, of 256 Larchville, with an address also at 14 Bridge St in Waterford, was yesterday sentenced in relation to a terrifying robbery involving the production of a knife in the city in July.

The 32-year-old father of two was last week found guilty of the robbery of 48 diamond engagement and eternity rings worth nearly €81,704 and a €60 cash float from a cash register. He was also found guilty of producing a knife.

Coughlan pleaded guilty to leaving Garda custody while being questioned some five days after the robbery occurred.

Judge Tom Teehan last night handed down a seven-year sentence to Coughlan for the robbery, with two years for the production of the knife and one year for escaping Garda custody.

All of these sentences are to run concurrently, while Coughlan also received a further two years’ imprisonment as the crimes were committed while serving a suspended sentence for robbery.

The seven-year sentence, backdated to September 6, will begin once the two-year term is completed.

The charges relate to a knife-point robbery of the rings at the Briscoe Conway jewellery on Broad St in the city on July 7. The property has never been recovered.

Shop assistants Aisling Murphy and Martina Waters were tidying up the shop when a man entered and approached Ms Murphy wielding a knife.

Ms Murphy said that a man told her to hand over diamond rings and gold and warned the women not to contact the gardaí.

Coughlan allegedly told Ms Murphy he would “cut out my eye” because she was looking at a panic button.

Det Gda Dunphy told Judge Teehan that Coughlan had 37 previous convictions for crimes including theft, firearm and misuse of drug offences, along with public order and burglary offences.