Men jailed for "gratuitously violent" robberies

Two men have been jailed for two years each after taking part in “gratuitously violent” robberies in which a gang carried out random attacks on people on the way home from Christmas parties.

Larry Power (aged 40) of North Circular Road, Dublin and Kieran O’Leary (aged 28) of St. Philomena Park, Blanchardstown both pleaded guilty to two counts of robbery each, at Whitestown Crescent and Hartstown road, Blanchardstown on the night of December 27, 2009.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that on the night in question a gang of men drove around the Blanchardstown area and carried out robberies involving “extreme violence” on people making their way home from Christmas parties.

Garda Colm McCormack told Ms Roisin Lacey BL, prosecuting, that the first two victims, Danielle McMahon and Sinead Jones, were attacked by a youth who put a Stanley knife to Ms McMahon’s throat and demanded that she hand over her bag.

A bigger man emerged from the car and hit Ms McMahon with a bottle, leaving her terrified. The two girls curled up on the ground in fear of their lives.

A third man grabbed Ms Jones by the hair and punched her in the side of the face. The smaller man then put a knife to her face and told her to empty her pockets.

In the second attack of the night, the gang jumped out of the car and assaulted Kieran O’Sullivan, knocking him unconscious. The court heard that the victim thought afterwards he must have been knocked on the side of his face by a bottle.

The girl accompanying him told gardaí that the men got out of the car and shouted at her: “Don’t run or we will kill you”. When she did try to run one of the men punched her in the face, bursting her lip.

During their investigation Power admitted to gardaí that he had driven the car around on the night but said he didn’t realise the violence been carried out by the other men.

O’Leary admitted being in the car while the robberies were carried out and told Gardaí: “If I could take it back I would”.

Mr Séamus Clarke, defending Power, said his client was “absolutely disgusted” by the violence carried out by the others in the car and that he started to cry when he read the victim’s statements.

Mr Michael Bowman BL, defending O’Leary, said that gardaí were told his client had stepped out of the car at one point to stop the attackers kicking a victim.

Power is a married man with nine children and one grandchild and has 38 previous convictions including one for possession of a knife and another for possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life. O’Leary has eight previous convictions.

Judge Martin Nolan sentenced them to two years each.