Courts / Dublin / Report
'Scumbag' pepper-sprayed and robbed man with cerebral palsy
Summary
Phillip McCabe, aged 22, was sentenced to five and a half years' imprisonment for two robberies committed on 3 March 2019. The first involved a Spanish woman who had just arrived from Barcelona; McCabe and an accomplice approached her at a bus stop, wrestled her iPhone, punched her, and fled with her phone and purse. The second robbery targeted a man with cerebral palsy on Malahide Road. McCabe and the same accomplice ambushed the man in a laneway, pepper‑sprayed his eyes, beat him, and stole his iPhone, threatening to stab him if he did not erase data. McCabe pleaded guilty, admitted probable involvement, and cited drug addiction as a motive. He had 112 prior convictions and had been in custody for several years. The court ordered the two sentences to run concurrently, giving an effective term of five and a half years.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: 'Scumbag' pepper-sprayed and robbed man with cerebral palsy. Charges or matters: two counts of robbery on March 3, 2019, at separate locations on Malahide Road, Clontarf, and Collins Park, Donnycarney. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- March 3, 2019 Hearing Or Sentence
- November 7, 2019 Other
- 2021-07-08 Publication
Why: McCabe told gardai that he could not remember the robberies because of head injuries sustained in the accident, but admitted he "probably" committed the offences, because he was a "scumbag" who "would do anything for money" and to fuel his drug addiction. CNI source report
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: two counts of robbery on March 3, 2019, at separate locations on Malahide Road, Clontarf, and Collins Park, Donnycarney (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: Judge Nolan sentenced McCabe to five and a half years for the robbery of the man in Donnycarney, and three and a half years for the other count on the indictment. He ordered that both sentences will run concurrently for an effective operative sentence of five and a half years imprisonment.
Places mentioned
- Dublin
- Dublin Circuit Criminal Court
- Malahide Road
- Collins Park
- the garda station
Topics
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