Courts / Dublin / Report

Jail for man whose attempted robbery was foiled by off-duty garda and his father

Summary

David Towell, 36, of Tallaght, pleaded guilty in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to attempted robbery and possession of an air pistol at Paddy Power bookmakers in Saggart on 6 July 2013. He had 20 prior convictions and had planned the robbery with an accomplice he met only the night before. Towell rode a moped driven by the accomplice, but an off‑duty Garda and his father intervened, knocking him off the scooter and preventing the robbery. He struck the cash desk, left with nothing, and was arrested on the spot. Judge Catherine Murphy sentenced him to four years, with the last year suspended, citing the seriousness of the offence and his drug‑addiction history. He was ordered to remain under Probation Services supervision, attend addiction services, and engage in victim‑awareness work.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Jail for man whose attempted robbery was foiled by off-duty garda and his father. Charges or matters: attempted robbery and possession of an air pistol at Paddy Power bookmakers in Saggart on July 6, 2013. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

• July 6, 2013 Incident
• 2015-03-23 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Drugs Stage Sentence Theft

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Read the original CNI report