Seven years for man who robbed pub for second time in six years

A chronic drug addict has been sentenced to seven years in jail after being caught robbing the same Dublin pub with a sawn-off shotgun for the second time in six years.

Wayne Ellis (aged 26) threatened staff and customers with the weapon before being tackled and disarmed by gardaí.

His 26 previous convictions included a six-year sentence in May 2003 for robbery of the Villager Inn, Chapelizod after he was foiled in similar circumstances when gardaí were alerted to the raid.

Ellis, of Landen Road, Ballyfermot, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to robbery and possession of a sawn-off shotgun at the same pub in Chapelizod on March 11, 2008. He has been in custody since that date.

Judge Patricia Ryan suspended the final two years of the sentence after she ordered that Ellis enter into a support program with the Probation and Welfare Service for 18 months upon release.

She noted the serious nature of both offences and the "harrowing" accounts provided by the victim impact statement but recognised that Ellis had made significant progress in rehabilitation while in custody, had entered an early plea of guilty and had shown remorse for his actions.

Garda Gavin Ryan told Mr Sean Gillane BL, prosecuting, at the initial hearing last March, that a man encountered Ellis armed with the gun in a hallway of the pub at about 12.30am and he managed to get outside to raise the alarm.

Ellis, who had a hood over his face, ran into the bar and shouted at six customers and the bar manager to get their heads down or he would shoot them. He told them he had one shotgun cartridge and would use it.

Ellis pointed the gun at the bar manager and demanded money. He accompanied the bar manager to the office containing the safe and told the customers he would shoot the man "if anybody did anything".

The man was initially unable to open the shutters to the office and feared he would be shot by the agitated Ellis.

Gda Ryan said when he and his colleagues arrived on the scene Ellis was in the office holding bags of coins in one hand and the gun in the other. Ellis dropped the bags on seeing the gardaí and started to raise the gun.

Gda Ryan shouted and struck out at Ellis. After a short struggle Ellis dropped the gun and it was retrieved by another garda.

Gda Ryan agreed with defence counsel, Ms Mary Ellen Ring SC (with Mr John Fitzgerald BL), that Ellis told gardaí in his third interview that he needed money for drugs and was sorry for his actions.

Ms Ring said Ellis had served four and a half years of his previous sentence handed down by Judge Desmond Hogan in May 2003, which had also been backdated to the time he went into custody. He had begun working on his release but failed to address his drug problem.

His accomplice, David Gibbons (aged 37), from Rossmore Avenue, Ballyfermot, was also given a six-year sentence in 2003 for robbery of the Villager Inn in Chapelizod on August 6, 2002.

Ellis and Gibbons were arrested at the scene after the owner's wife phoned gardaí from a nearby shop when she observed the crime taking place.

Garda John Coughlan told Mr Justin Dillon BL, prosecuting, that Gibbons pointed an imitation gun at the owner's head just after he opened the pub and ordered him to show them where the safe was. Ellis was armed on that occasion with a six-inch blade.

Gda Coughlan said he arrived on the scene with two armed gardai and the robbers were forced to surrender.