2024-01-25
Lifelong criminal who dropped phone at scene of armed robbery contests identification from CCTV
Stage: Appeal
Plea: Not guilty
Finding: Convicted
Outcome: Convicted; The court had heard that Byrne was released from a separate sentence in November 2009, just four months before carrying out the Swords raid. At the Special Criminal Court in July 2021, Mr Justice Michael MacGrath sentenced Byrne to eight-and-a-half years for both the armed robbery and the false imprisonment, six-and-a-half years for the threat to kill and seven-and-half years each for the possession of the firearm and for hijacking the car.