Hoax-call chef has sentence adjourned

A former Bewleys Hotel chef who made hoax calls stating there were bombs in the hotel carpark and kitchen has had his sentence adjourned at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

David Lamb (aged33) had been sacked from his job at Bewleys a few days before the incident and told gardaí that he made the hoax calls because he had a grudge against the hotel, adding: "I think they should have been a little more fair to me."

Garda Sinead Greene told prosecuting counsel Mr Michael Bowman BL that Lamb lost his job because he had taken days off to spend time with his terminally ill father after the hotel had refused to give him the time off. His father died in the month following the incident.

Garda Greene said she and several garda colleagues were called to the hotel on November 7, 2006 by reception staff concerned about a bomb scare in the carpark.

Lamb, of Tongalee Road, Raheny, pleaded guilty to knowingly making a false report. He had previously received a suspended sentence for making similar calls and committed this offence during the suspended term.

Judge Frank O’Donnell said that a probation report before the court stated that Lamb had not shown genuine remorse or victim empathy in relation to his crimes. He added that he had not taken the chance he had been given with the previous suspended sentences.

Judge O’Donnell accepted that a report stated that Lamb had a "low average range of intelligence" but said that he had no sympathy for Lamb because his crime had demonstrated that he had "a genuine understanding of how to seek revenge and hurt others".

He adjourned sentencing to next December, ordered an updated probation report and told the accused that he was to have €1,000 in court for the next date after commenting that Lamb "deserves a custodial sentence".

"I promise you nothing sir, but if you do not have the €1,000 as evidence of your remorse and that it has hit home with you, members of the public, or anyone that you are in contact with, are at serious risk", Judge O’Donnell said.