Courts / Wexford / Report

Cider thief Myles Byrne 'not living up to' revolutionary hero namesake

Date
2020-04-23

Stage
Sentence

Primary locality
Wexford

County
Wexford

Summary

Myles Byrne, 28, was sentenced to ten months' imprisonment after a shop robbery in Dublin's city centre. He entered a Tesco at about 9 am, attempted to purchase four cans of cider, and when staff refused to sell him alcohol he threatened a staff member with a syringe, saying "get away or I'll stab you" and that he was lucky he didn't rob the tills. Garda Aine Hogan reported that staff feared for their lives, and the deputy manager described Byrne as "out of it" and "swaying". Byrne pleaded guilty to robbery and to making a threat to kill or cause serious harm. He has 79 prior convictions, including assault, robbery and traffic offences, and was on bail when the offence occurred. His defence counsel, Rebecca Smith BL, noted his ongoing alcohol problems and lack of memory of the incident, and that he wished to address his addiction but was unable to access residential treatment due to pandemic restrictions.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Cider thief Myles Byrne 'not living up to' revolutionary hero namesake. Charges or matters: robbery and making a threat to kill or cause serious harm at College Green, Dublin city on September 29, 2019. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

September 29, 2019 Incident
2020-04-23 Publication

Why: She said Byrne wished to deal with his addiction problem but that the offer of a place in residential treatment had been put on hold because of the pandemic related restrictions. CNI source report