Raider with knife fled when victim produced toy gun

A raider, who held a knife to a shopkeeper’s chest, ran from the scene when the victim produced a toy gun.

Detective Garda Ian Coughlan outlined this scenario yesterday at Cork Circuit Criminal Court.

Paul O’Donovan, 20, of 33 Woodview, Pinecroft, Douglas, Cork, pleaded guilty to attempting to commit a robbery at The Workshop, Old Blackrock Road, Cork, on October 14, 2014, and having a knife with him at the time.

Det Garda Coughlan said that worryingly, the accused said he would have used the knife on the occasion had the owner not produced what looked like a gun.

O’Donovan went into the office at The Workshop, closed the door behind him and held the knife to the owner’s chest. The accused did not seem to be interested in cash at the time.

Det Garda Coughlan said that later in the afternoon the accused presented himself with his father at the Bridewell Garda Station and told the garda on duty he had committed a crime. He later said he was experiencing anger, stress and rage at the time. A background report suggested the accused did have underlying psychiatric issues and had suffered from bullying in the past.

Det Garda Coughlan said the owner of The Workshop, where the crime was committed, was actually very sympathetic to the young man and believed he was not in his right mind when he arrived there that day.

Gareth Fleming, defending, said the accused clearly had a psychiatric difficulty but because he did not have a clearly recognisable condition against which a box could be ticked he was not getting treatment.

Judge Seán Ó Donnabháin agreed and said: “The mental health services threw up their hands.” Mr Fleming said: “Their response was so bureaucratic it stunned me.”

The judge put the case back to February 23, for a probation report and remanded O’Donovan on bail.