Courts / Dublin / Report

Plastic bag habit rumbled mallet-wielding robber

Summary

Joseph French, 33, of Neilstown Park, Clondalkin, was sentenced to five years in prison, with the final two years suspended on strict conditions, after pleading guilty to attempted robbery on 18 July 2021 and a robbery on 21 July 2021. The attempted robbery took place at Centra, Kingswood Shopping Centre, where French, armed with a large knife, demanded money from a staff member and was stopped by a customer. CCTV captured him leaving a Tesco plastic bag, which later yielded his DNA. The robbery at Applegreen, Clondalkin, involved a black rubber mallet; French forced a staff member to open the till and took just over €350 before leaving a plastic bag that again provided DNA evidence. French had 139 prior convictions, including a four‑year sentence for a 2020 robbery and a consecutive four‑and‑a‑half‑year sentence for the 18 July 2021 robbery.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Plastic bag habit rumbled mallet-wielding robber. Charges or matters: attempted robbery on July 18, 2021 and a charge of robbery three days later while out on bail for similar offences. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

• July 18, 2021 Other
• July 21 Hearing Or Sentence
• March 2028 Other
• 2024-07-05 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Sentence Theft

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Read the original CNI report