Bar staff locked man in cold-room after attempted robbery

A teenage lifeguard who was locked in a cold-room by pub staff who thought his robbery attempt while armed with a "sword-like instrument" was a joke has to carry out 200 hours community service.

Scott Rigney (aged 19), of Bushfield Drive, Clondalkin was later found hiding in the attic of Bluebell United FC clubhouse on the Naas Road, by gardaí after he punched a hole in the ceiling of the cold-room.

Rigney told gardaí he was trying to rob the bar because he was looking for money to repair damage he had caused to his mother's car. He had no previous convictions and has not come to garda attention since.

Judge Katherine Delahunt ordered him to carry out 200 hours community service in lieu of a two-year prison term after he pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to attempted robbery on March 6, 2005.

Judge Delahunt said at a previous hearing that Ringer's actions on the night when he arrived in the clubhouse wearing a grey "hoodie" and armed with a sword-like instrument seemed to be "a complete moment of madness".

Detective Garda John Cleary told Mr Roughan Banim BL, prosecuting, that there were about eight people in the bar when Rigney approached staff who initially thought it was a joke.

A scuffle then broke out and Rigney was disarmed and locked into the cold-room by staff but customers in the bar had not noticed anything at all happen. Rigney came down from the room when ordered to by gardaí and apologised straight away, saying it was a stupid thing to do.

Det. Gda Cleary agreed with Ms Kathleen Noctor BL, defending, that it was not a well thought out crime, that no money was taken from the bar and that nobody was injured.

Ms Noctor told Judge Delahunt it was "a ridiculous and stupid enterprise that had no prospects of a successful execution".

She said Ringer's family had planned to move to Tipperary but his father died suddenly and the family remained in Dublin. He took his father's death very badly and started drinking excessively.

Ms Noctor said he had since been attending counselling and treatment for his drink problem. He qualified as a life guard and worked in the Tallaght Leisure Centre as well as coaching under-10 soccer in Clondalkin.