Courts / Dublin / Report

Off-duty garda foiled pharmacy robbery

Summary

In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Jason Halpin, 45, was sentenced to 20 months' imprisonment for attempting to rob Lloyds Pharmacy in Castleknock on 9 March 2016. The offence was thwarted by an off‑duty Garda armed with pepper spray, who entered the shop at 7.30 pm after receiving a call about suspicious activity. Halpin, wearing a hoodie and a face mask, entered the pharmacy, pushed a female customer toward the till and shouted, "Give me the money." He was immediately pushed to the ground and subdued with pepper spray, which also affected two staff members and a customer, all of whom later described the incident as terrifying. No money was taken and Halpin did not produce or threaten to use a knife that was reportedly hidden in his tracksuit. He had 25 prior convictions, including robbery and drug misuse, and was on bail for another offence at the time of the robbery. Jason Halpin pleaded guilty.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Off-duty garda foiled pharmacy robbery. Charges or matters: one count of attempting to rob Lloyds Pharmacy in Castleknock, Dublin on March 9, 2016. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

• March 9, 2016 Hearing Or Sentence
• 2017-11-13 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Drugs Stage Sentence Theft

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Read the original CNI report