Courts / Dublin / Report

Passenger who held rope around taxi driver's neck during robbery jailed

Summary

In a robbery that took place on 22 January 2012 on Ballymount Road, a back‑seat passenger, Brendan Boylan, 34, held a rope around the neck of a taxi driver while the front‑seat passenger brandished a knife. The driver, fearing for his life, handed over €600 before the men fled. Boylan, who has 16 prior convictions, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. He claimed he was forced to participate to repay a drug debt and feared a "bullet or a blade" if he refused. Judge Martin Nolan sentenced him to two and a half years' imprisonment, deciding not to involve the Probation Service because of Boylan's age. The taxi driver did not submit a victim impact report. Boylan's father argued that his son had been affected by family deaths and had struggled with addiction for many years, offering €500 to the driver and asking the court to consider the debt context.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Passenger who held rope around taxi driver's neck during robbery jailed. Charges or matters: robbery of €600 from a taxi driver at Ballymount Road on January 22, 2012. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

• January 22, 2012 Hearing Or Sentence
• 2014-10-31 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Drugs Stage Sentence Theft

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Read the original CNI report