Appeal court orders Susan McGovern to serve three years for robbery

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

The Court of Appeal quashed Susan McGovern’s fully suspended sentence for robbery and imposed a four-and-a-half-year term, with the final 18 months suspended. The decision means she must serve three years in prison. The proceedings were reported on 16 May 2025.

McGovern pleaded guilty to one count of robbery under Section 14 of the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001, on a full facts basis. One count of Section 3 assault was taken into consideration.

On 10 October 2024, Judge Eugene O’Kelly sentenced her at Waterford Circuit Criminal Court to four and a half years, suspended in full. The Director of Public Prosecutions sought a review on the grounds that the sentence was unduly lenient.

The incident occurred in the early hours of 21 May 2022. The appeal judgment said McGovern and the victim met outside a nightclub and returned to her apartment. She prevented him from leaving, demanded money and armed herself with a carving knife. He gave her €28 and called emergency services. He was struck on the cheek with a knife and required stitches.

In interviews with gardaí, McGovern alleged that the victim had attacked her and said she had acted in self-defence. She also claimed his wounds were caused by her ring, not the knife. She alleged that he had attempted to rape her, but accepted at the sentencing hearing that the allegation was false.

Delivering the appeal judgment on 16 May 2025, Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy said the custody threshold had been passed and full suspension was a substantial departure from the norm. The court accepted that suspending part of the sentence could encourage rehabilitation. The final 18 months were suspended on the same terms as in the court below.