Courts / Dublin / Report

Imitation gun pointed at customer's face during armed raid

Date
2022-07-26

Stage
Sentence

Primary locality
Dublin

County
Dublin

Summary

In October 2021, Paul Clarke (40) and Patrick Byrne (37) carried out an armed robbery of a post office in Baldoyle, Co Dublin. Gardaí from the Emergency Response Unit arrived six minutes after the raid began. Clarke was armed with a hammer and a spade, while Byrne held an imitation firearm. The raiders shouted threats, forced customers to the ground, and threatened to kill or seriously harm them. An elderly pensioner was unable to crouch due to recent knee surgery and later reported that a gun was held to her face. The men also used the spade and hammer to damage the glass screen separating staff from customers. Both pleaded guilty to attempted robbery, false imprisonment of two female customers, and making a threat to kill or cause serious harm. Byrne also pleaded guilty to possession of an imitation firearm.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Imitation gun pointed at customer's face during armed raid. Charges or matters: attempted robbery of the post office on October 1, 2021; false imprisonment of two female customers present at the time and to making a threat to kill or cause serious harm to one of these women; possession of an imitation firearm. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

October 1, 2021 Incident
2022-07-26 Publication

Why: Lawyers for the two men told Dublin Circuit Criminal Court that both men had recently relapsed into drug use and the raid was a desperate attempt to fund their drug addictions. CNI source report

Case subjects

Patrick Byrne

Defendant

Charges: attempted robbery of the post office on October 1, 2021; false imprisonment of two female customers present at the time and to making a threat to kill or cause serious harm to one of these women; possession of an imitation firearm (Admitted)

Plea: Guilty

Paul Clarke

Defendant

Plea: Guilty