Irishman to be sentenced for armed robbery in US

A 27-year-old Co Clare man convicted of armed robbery in the United States could be sentenced to up to 25 years in prison later today.

Niall Clarke, from Kilrush, has been in custody since October 2006, when he was arrested shortly after holding up a bank in the state of Maine.

The Trinity College graduate pleaded guilty, but his family is hoping for leniency as they believe he suffers from schizophrenia.

Observers say they expect him to be sentenced to at least nine or 10 years in a federal prison because the firearm offence alone carries a mandatory minimum of seven years that must be served consecutively with any other sentence.