Three-year sentence for young bomb hoaxer

A young Dublin man who called in hoax bomb scares in Rathmines for “a laugh” has received a three-year sentence for these offences and a robbery.

Detective Garda Aidan Duffy revealed that colleagues investigating the two hoax calls after the Army Bomb Disposal Unit had been contacted and Rathmines residents evacuated, nominated Shane McKeever (aged 20) as the caller from the voice on the recording and tracked the number to his mother’s phone.

The detective garda said McKeever, whom defence counsel, Mr John Byrne BL, described as “undoubtedly a nuisance”, denied putting devices under cars on both occasions and claimed he had thought the calls “would be a laugh”.

Det Gda Duffy agreed with Mr Byrne that one of the devices found under a Toyota Yaris had been a flashing “battery-powered bicycle lamp”.

McKeever, of Leo Fitzgerald House, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to making false reports on February 25 and June 8, 2009 and to robbing €1,200 from a shop at Upper Rathmines Road on February 1, 2009.

He has 34 previous convictions, including public order offences, three burglaries and attempted robbery.

Det garda Duffy told Mr Garnet Orange BL, prosecuting, that McKeever admitted he had made the calls but claimed he had been “put up to it” by someone else and had not placed the fake devices under the cars.

The detective garda said the Army Bomb Disposal Unit had been called in and nearby residents evacuated for over an hour on each occasion.

He agreed with Mr Byrne that his client had hung up the phone after he had given basic information about seeing a device under a car at a particular location.

Det Gda Duffy further agreed that there had been “nothing sophisticated” about McKeever’s calls and that he had “demonstrated little insight into the gravity of the offence” during interview.

The detective garda told Mr Orange that McKeever was identified as one of three males who robbed Rathmines’s Field and Vine shop on February 1, 2009.

He said one of the males had pointed an imitation gun at the shop keeper, another had a knife and McKeever had stood near the front door on look-out.

McKeever fully admitted his role in the robbery during interview but claimed he didn’t know his accomplices.

Det garda Duffy agreed with Mr Byrne that his client had had a more minor role in the robbery, that he had apologised during interview and had entered the earliest possible guilty plea.

Mr Byrne submitted to Judge Martin Nolan that a psychologist’s report in court had deemed his client to be in the bottom percentage of intelligence and that his family intended moving away from the Rathmines area.

Counsel submitted that McKeever was “undoubtedly a nuisance” to Rathmines gardaí.

Judge Nolan accepted McKeever is “not very bright” and has problems but said his actions “created huge amounts of problems for other people.”

The judge said a custodial sentence was appropriate because McKeever had been in trouble with the law and had been given “plenty of chances”.

He imposed a three year suspended sentence with the final year suspended and ordered that McKeever undergo post release supervision.