Escapee remanded to appear at Dublin Court

Convicted drug dealer and armed robber, Jeffery Mitchell, who was arrested on Friday evening after four days on the run, has been remanded in custody at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

Sergeant Caroline Moloney told Mr Dominic McGinn BL, prosecuting, that Mitchell, 29, from Monasterboice Road, Crumlin, was apprehended in Drogheda at 7.10 pm on Friday after he absconded from Dublin Circuit Criminal Court last Tuesday.

He was arrested on foot of a bench warrant by local gardai who spotted him driving a black Hyundai sports car on West Street, just off the Belfast Road. There was a female passenger in the car with him.

Mitchell was due to be sentenced, along with three others, last week to the armed robbery of £52,109 from businessman Daniel McCagney at the Tallaght by-pass on December 8, 2001. All four had previously pleaded guilty to the offence.

The prominent criminal fled the court after Judge Elizabeth Dunne ordered him to go before Judge Joseph Matthews at the nearby Green Street court to have a number of old cases, that had been re-listed, dealt with.

Mr McGinn made an application to Judge Dunne that Mitchell be transferred to Green Street in custody but this was refused.

Sgt Moloney said that she followed Mitchell but at some point he disappeared from her view. Judge Dunne immediately issued a bench warrant.

Today in court Sgt Moloney said she was seeking a remand in custody until next week when the accused will appear before the courts again.

Mr Giollaoisa O'Lideadha BL, for Mitchell, said he had no objection to that course of action and that his client was not looking for bail. He instructed Judge Dunne that Mitchell wanted to apologise for his failure to return to court last week.

Judge Dunne adjourned the case until next Monday when Mitchell will be sentenced for the armed robbery of Mr McCagney. The accused will also appear before the courts next Tuesday on charges of assaulting a prison officer in Mountjoy.

Mitchell was jailed for eight years by Judge Matthews in November 1997 for a number of armed robberies, the possession of firearms and the possession of drugs for sale or supply.

Judge Matthews released him on review in April 2000 and bound him to the peace for two years. He was in breach of that bond once he pleaded guilty to the robbery in December.

The criminal now faces the five-and-a-half years that was outstanding in that sentence being reactivated, plus whatever term of imprisonment is imposed on the new cases will have to be served consecutively to that.

As well as his court appearances next Monday and Tuesday, Mitchell will appear before Judge Matthews on Wednesday of next week to have that sentence reactivated.