Suspended sentence for raid on bookmakers

A robber who raided a bookmakers armed with a plastic handgun in order to pay off a debt has been given a five-year suspended sentence by Judge Katherine Delahunt.

Larry Higgins (aged 45) of O’Devaney Gardens, North Circular Road, told gardaí that he had been “taken in a van” some weeks previously and been given two weeks to hand over €500. He said after the robbery he had gone straight to Artane in Dublin and handed the proceeds of the raid over to a man.

Higgins, a father of five, pleaded at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court guilty to robbery and attempted robbery at William Hill Bookmakers on Parkgate Street on November 2, 2007. His 40 previous convictions included robbery and larceny.

Judge Delahunt said reports before the court indicated that Higgins had “significantly tackled” both his alcohol and drug addictions which she described as the “root of your offending”.

“With this type of a crime a custodial sentence would normally be guaranteed but you have made huge progress and there has been a huge turnaround,” Judge Delahunt told Higgins.

“I am prepared to deal with this matter on the basis of a last chance and this is your last chance,” the judge said before she warned Higgins that if he re-offended she would not hesitate in reactivating the sentence.

She suspended the sentence on the condition that Higgins undergo random drug testing and liaise with the probation service.

She also adjourned the case to next June for a community service report and indicated that if Higgins is considered suitable he would be ordered to perform 240 hours in the community in lieu of a four year sentence.

Garda Emma Barker told Ms Lisa Dempsey BL, prosecuting, at the sentence hearing in March 2009, that Higgins told staff he would blow their heads off if they didn’t hand over the cash from the till.

The manager walked away from his till and refused to hand over the cash while another staff member who Gda Barker said was “put in fear of her life” handed €495 over to Higgins.

He was identified through CCTV footage and was arrested three days later when he told gardaí he carried out the robbery to pay off a debt.

Gda Barker agreed with Mr Luigi Rea BL, defending, that his client is now trying to deal with his drug addiction and urine analysis prove that he is no longer abusing heroin but continues to take cannabis.

She accepted that there are no criminal matters pending against Higgins.

Mr Rea asked the court to accept that his client has turned his life around and that his plea of guilty and attempts to deal with his addictions prove that.

Higgins told the court that he intends to keep attending for drug treatment and co-operating with the probation service. He said he was going to see a GP next month to try and deal with his cannabis problem.