Courts / Meath / Report

Father-of-seven who handed himself in to gardai after mugging sentenced to four years

Summary

Thomas Stokes, 32, a father of seven, was sentenced to four years in prison for a series of robberies committed while under the influence of a head shop drug. He admitted to robbing Austrian tourist Elzbieta Steplewski (55) in Clonee on 2 July 2013, and to robbing Lea Giannone (51) and driving under the influence at the Regency Hotel in Whitehall on 29 July 2013. Stokes also stole from a Maxol Service Station on 2 July 2013. He pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, where Judge Martin Nolan imposed a consecutive term of four years, suspending the final two years on strict conditions. The court noted Stokes had 14 prior convictions for traffic offences and had no violent convictions since July. The sentencing followed his confession to the Gardaí and the testimony of witnesses who tracked his getaway car and provided vehicle registration details.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Father-of-seven who handed himself in to gardai after mugging sentenced to four years. Charges or matters: robbing Elzbieta Steplewski (55) in Clonee on July 2, 2013 and to robbing Lea Giannone (51) and driving a car under the influence of alcohol at the Regency Hotel in Whitehall, on July 29, 2013. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

• July 2, 2013 Incident
• July 29, 2013 Incident
• 2014-10-20 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Drugs Stage Sentence Violent Crime

Related court reports

• 'Terror and dominance' - Criminal jailed for role with kidnap gang
• Mum of murdered gunman Tristan Sherry stabbed bar manager weeks after son's funeral
• 'Money herder' used various accounts in cash laundering scheme
• Staff told not to talk about oven fire after primary school pupils evacuated, tribunal told
• Mechanic accepted cannabis from garda disguised as delivery man
• Custody records of Ana Kriegel killer 'crucial to appeal', court told

Read the original CNI report