Post office customer helps foil robbery

A would-be-robber's attempted raid on his local post office was foiled by a customer who managed to wrestle a syringe away from his own throat and hold the man until gardai arrived, a court has heard.

A would-be-robber whose attempted post office raid was foiled when he was held by the sole customer and a staff member until gardaí arrived has been given a five years sentence.

Shane Price (aged 31) of Phibsborough Road, Cabra shouted: "Give me the f***ing money" but was disarmed and held after the customer wrestled a syringe away from his throat.

Price pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to attempted robbery on Phibsborough Post Office on March 13, 2007.

Ms Sinead McMullan BL, defending, told Judge Katherine Delahunt that Price claimed he dropped the syringe during the struggle and the customer had not taken it from him.

Judge Delahunt accepted that Price showed genuine remorse to gardaí when they arrived on the scene and indicated that he had not intended to hurt anyone in the post office that day.

She noted he had tried to come to terms with his drug addiction and suspended the last 18 months of the sentence on strict conditions.

Detective Garda Thomas Feighery told Mr Garret Baker BL, prosecuting, that there was only one customer present when Price held a syringe at his neck and told the staff to "give me the f***ing money".

The customer at first thought it was a prank but as soon as he realised it was a genuine threat he grabbed Price's hand and pushed the syringe away from his neck.

A struggle broke out and he hit Price a "few blows" before a member of staff grabbed the raider by his hood and together they held him to the counter until the gardaí arrived.

Gda Feighery said that while the customer had no physical injuries he has had sleepless nights and lived in constant fear he would meet Price again.

Price had 17 previous convictions including road traffic offences, sale or supply of drugs and another syringe robbery.

Gda Feighery agreed with Ms McMullan that there was a cap on the syringe Price used in the raid and said that once he was disarmed he had not struggled and had co-operated with the gardaí.

Ms McMullan told Judge Delahunt that Price left school at an early age and started using heroin at the age of 16 or 17 years old.

She said he had come off a heroin a few days before this attempted raid and the birth of his baby boy five months ago had motivated him to stay clean. She said Price wanted to express his apologies to his victims.