Drug addict gets three years for robbery and death threat

A chronic cocaine addict has been given a three years sentence at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for a €40 robbery in which she threatened to slit a young woman’s throat.

Anne Marie Pezzillo’s threat caused the victim to quit her professional Dublin city job and to become almost a recluse in her rural home.

Pezzillo (aged 24), who injected cocaine intravenously had been due to go to a residential drug treatment course this month but Judge Patrick McCartan imposed the three years sentence on receipt of a report that she had tested positive for drugs since her last appearance. He suspended the final 12 months for three years.

She pleaded guilty to committing the robbery at Burlington Road on July 28, 2006. Formerly of Middle Abbey Street in the city centre, knives featured among her 17 previous convictions.

Judge McCartan had told Pezzillo previously that he wasn’t "ill-disposed to assisting you" and that it wouldn’t be in her "best interest" to sentence her then for the robbery despite her request from the body of the court for him to go ahead and do so.

He pleaded at her last hearing that she had made progress and remained drugfree since her first appearance in November 2007 but that places for her on new drug-treatment and counselling courses, as well as supervised accommodation, "are only going to be available in March".

Judge McCartan recalled at that hearing that when she was before him in November 2007 she "had her arrangements made for two-o’clock that day" but he said it would be irresponsible of the court to release her "without having a proper scheme of supervision in place right away."

When Pezzillo protested from the body of the court that she had provided clean urine samples as he had requested in November, he agreed that "we are making progress" but rejected her further demand to be sentenced immediately because, she said: "Then at least then I know where I stand."

"That would not be the best thing for you. Sentence now would not be in your best interests," Judge McCartan said and despite her repeated protests to him that she had been told by a social worker that she could go "from the community" to the new treatment unit in March 2008, he remanded her in custody.

Judge McCartan had told her in November he would have to be convinced she was drugfree and had a comprehensive programme, including accommodation, in place before "I could take a chance on you."

Pezzillo told him at the November hearing that she had an appointment that day "at two-o’clock in the Brazen Head" with a social worker who told her she would have accommodation somewhere for her if he released her from eight months custody.

Judge McCartan rejected her claim that she had been "just too lazy" to provide urine samples to prove her drug status. He said a letter she wrote showed she was very literate" and had talents "which show you could become a valuable member of society".

Detective Garda Cathal Brennan told prosecuting counsel, Ms Marie Torrens BL, that the 25-year-old robbery victim was going to her car when accosted by Pezzillo who gestured towards her top clothing and demanded money with repeated threats of "I’ll slit your throat".

The terrified victim handed over two €20 notes she had in her purse but was so badly traumatised by the threat to slit her throat that she resigned from her job and left the city.

Det Gda Brennan said the victim was now living at home and too afraid even to walk down a road on her own. He said Pezzillo was arrested a few days later and admitted the crime when interviewed.

"She is a chronic addict and wouldn’t have done this but for her addiction," he said and agreed with defence counsel, Mr Luigi Rea BL, that Pezzillo’s apology to the victim had helped her in some way.