2015-02-13 · Tipperary
Five years for drug addict who threatened to take woman's children in "terrifying" car-jacking
In a 30‑minute incident in south Dublin, 41‑year‑old Francis Gavigan, a drug addict, forced a woman, Eleanor McCarthy, to drive his car while threatening to Taser her and take her children. He showed the children a memorial card of his late mother and claimed he was a "bad apple" desperate to avoid bank robbery. Gavigan pleaded guilty to robbery and false imprisonment. He was sentenced to five years in prison, with the sentence backdated to May 17, 2014. The court noted the victims felt severely threatened but that Gavigan had no intent to harm them. He had 34 prior convictions, including vehicle theft and violent theft, and was reported to be engaging with prison chaplaincy and drug‑addiction support at the time of sentencing.