'There is no criminal genius here': Judge jails lapsed drug addict after robbery spree

A judge has jailed a recovering drug addict for four years for a spree of robberies after saying he didn't think the man was “very good at crime”.

Judge Martin Nolan noted that Keith McCarthy (44) had previously worked for some time as a drug counsellor for a number of different agencies after successfully dealing with his addiction.

He carried out three robberies and an attempted robbery to get cash to pay off a drug debt following his relapse.

“I am impressed that he is not the worst individual in the world,” Judge Nolan said before he jailed him for four years and disqualified him from driving for four years having heard that McCarthy twice drove without insurance.

Bernard Condon SC, defending, told Judge Nolan “there is no criminal genius here” after he read out a letter written by McCarthy's mother who said her son was driven to robbery out of desperation.

McCarthy of Windmill Terrace, Clonsilla, Dublin pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to twice robbing Eddie Rocket's in Finglas on June 25 and July 9, 2019.

He also pleaded guilty to robbery of BoyleSports on Main Street in Donabate and attempted robbery of Ladbrokes in Mulhuddart, both on July 20, 2019. He further admitted two charges of driving without insurance on July 20 and July 23, 2019.

McCarthy's 38 previous convictions include 30 for road traffic offences, along with criminal damage, possession of firearms, theft and a four year suspended sentence for robbery handed down in June 2015.

Judge Nolan said “I don't think he is very good at crime. He needed money for a drug debt and this is what he thought he needed to do to get the money”.

He accepted evidence that McCarthy was a good father and a caring son and took into account his pleas of guilty, co-operation with the garda investigation and his expression of remorse.

“There is every hope of reform but he must rid himself of his addictive habits,” Judge Nolan said before he added “I am impressed that he is not the worst individual in the world”.

Garda Hayley Robinson told Kieran Kelly BL, prosecuting, that the same woman was working on each occasion that McCarthy robbed the Eddie Rockets in Finglas while armed with an imitation firearm.

She said on each occasion he wore a scarf over his face and demanded money from the safe in the back office.

During the second incident he dropped something from his gun which was later handed into the gardaí and found to be a plastic magazine. The gardaí then believed that it was an imitation firearm used in both raids.

McCarthy robbed just under €2,000 from Eddie Rockets during the raids.

During the attempted robbery of Ladbrokes, the cashier he approached immediately noticed that it was an imitation gun and asked McCarthy “Is this a joke?”. McCarthy laughed and left the shop without taking anything.

Later that same day he robbed BoyleSports in Donabate of €5,000 after holding the imitation gun on a counter and demanding cash.

McCarthy later made full admissions following his arrest. He said he was concerned for the safety of his partner and her child because of the drug debt he owed. He apologised and said he had not meant to hurt anyone.

Mr Condon said his client had had a long standing drug addiction but managed to get clean, study drug addiction and then become a drug counsellor for three different agencies.

He later relapsed into drug addiction and built up this debt. Counsel said he returned to crime as “a last resort” and “in desperation”.

“When desperation re-visited he returned back to his old habits. The demons he conquered before he now needs to conquer again,” Mr Condon submitted.

“He has previously shown that he can turn his life around and I ask the court to give him that opportunity again,” counsel continued.