Courts / Dublin / Report
Pair who stole €27k worth of Ray-Bans had taken 'everything from tablets to crack cocaine'
Summary
Two men, one named Jason Kelly (53) with 160 prior convictions, broke into a Ray‑Ban shop on Grafton Street at 1:30 a.m. using a steel stanchion to smash the reinforced glass door. They stole 170 pairs of designer sunglasses and eyeglasses, worth €27,089, and packed them into a sleeping bag before leaving. The robbery was captured on CCTV. Kelly pleaded guilty to the burglary and was sentenced to three years' imprisonment by Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. The judge noted the shop was empty, Kelly was under the influence, and the pair caused over €4,000 of damage to the door. Kelly is already serving a separate sentence and has a long history of offending, mostly in the District Court. The court heard he has a heroin addiction, a brain injury, and several health problems, and that he intends to seek treatment and study while in custody. The case was heard at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Pair who stole €27k worth of Ray-Bans had taken 'everything from tablets to crack cocaine'. Charges or matters: robbing the opticians on July 12 last year and was today sentenced to three years in prison at a sitting of Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- July 12 Incident
- 2024-07-11 Publication
Why: Derek Cooney BL, defending Kelly, described the robbery as a "hare-brained idea" by two people who got it into their heads that this would be an easy crime to fund their drug lifestyle. Defence account reported by CNI
Case subjects
Convicted Person
Charges: robbing the opticians on July 12 last year and was today sentenced to three years in prison at a sitting of Dublin Circuit Criminal Court (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: Kelly, of Lower Oriel Street, Dublin 1, pleaded guilty to robbing the opticians on July 12 last year and was today sentenced to three years in prison at a sitting of Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. The court heard Kelly has been in and out of prison since serving his first sentence at the age of 16 and had developed a heroin addiction over the last 20 years, which he struggles to contain.
Places mentioned
- Grafton Street
- Lower Oriel Street
- Dublin
- Grafton Street
- Dublin
- Dublin Circuit Criminal Court
Topics
Burglary Drugs Stage Sentence Theft
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