Nine years for former international boxer who robbed to feed heroin habit

A drug addict who boxed for Ireland before a relapse led him to carry out a number of robberies to feed his habit has been given a nine-year sentence by Judge Katherine Delahunt at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

Anthony Dillon (aged 27) Balcurris Road, Ballymun pleaded guilty to 12 robberies, possession of heroin valued at €15,000 for sale or supply, possession of an imitation firearm, assault causing harm and attempted robbery on dates between April 10, 2007 and January 7, 2008.

He was on bail for each of the offences when he committed the next. A total of €3,705 was taken and he used weapons including an imitation handgun, a bread knife, a peeling knife and a child’s scissors.

All his crimes were carried out to feed his heroin addiction. He had 28 previous convictions, including attempted robbery, possession of firearms and robbery.

Judge Delahunt imposed a nine-year sentence but suspended the final two years on strict conditions to allow him "light at the end of the tunnel".

Ms Anne-Marie Lawlor BL, defending, told Judge Delahunt that Dillon had been a successful boxer before he relapsed back into drug addiction and the robberies were desperate "unplanned offences" to feed his chronic heroin habit.

Dillon was nominated as a suspect in most cases after gardaí viewed CCTV footage of the raids and through fingerprints he left behind at the scene.

He apologised to many of the victims during the robberies, reassuring them that it would be over soon and telling one man: "Sorry about all this."

Garda Nicola Lowery told Ms Tara Burns BL, prosecuting, that Dillon carried out an attempted robbery and a robbery within 20 minutes of each. He broke the nose of one staff member in the second raid when he had to take an imitation handgun from him.

Gda Lowery said that in the attempted robbery a staff member scuffled with Dillon and pushed him out the door after he had demanded money from the till.

Garda Antony Moloney agreed with Ms Lawlor in cross-examination that Dillon said he "felt sick" and was genuinely remorseful after he admitted during Garda interview that he had robbed four Dublin premises, armed with a plastic toy gun, on dates between April 10 and June 27, 2007.

Garda James Nuggent told Ms Burns that €15,000 worth of heroin was found in a locked safe in Dillon’s bedroom in his family home after it was searched by gardaí.

Dillon took responsibility for the drugs and told them he was holding for dealers who had paid him by giving him heroin for his own use.