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Suspended sentence for drug addict who tricked old school acquaintance into giving him a lift to robbery

Summary

In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court case, 42‑year‑old Francis McGowan received a three‑year suspended sentence for robbing a Tesco Express store in Cabinteely on 25 June 2013. McGowan, a drug addict, had persuaded his old school acquaintance Alan Kane to give him a lift to the shop, asking only two euros for chewing gum. He entered the store wearing a high‑visibility jacket, sunglasses and a luminous bag, and pointed a plastic gun at the cashier to steal €300. McGowan tried to have Kane drive fast and break a red light, but Kane refused and McGowan left the car a short distance away. McGowan pleaded guilty, admitted the robbery was planned with a BB gun bought in Spain, and apologized. Judge Mary Ellen Ring noted his long‑term drug addiction and lack of recent Garda attention, suspended the sentence for three years, and ordered 12 months of Probation Service supervision.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Suspended sentence for drug addict who tricked old school acquaintance into giving him a lift to robbery. Charges or matters: robbing Tesco Express, The Park Shopping Centre, Cabinteely on June 25, 2013. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

• June 25, 2013 Hearing Or Sentence
• 2014-11-07 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Drugs Stage Sentence Theft

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Read the original CNI report