Courts / Dublin / Report

Crystal meth addict who committed 16 robberies within 12 months is jailed for eight years

Date
2015-11-27

Stage
Sentence

Primary locality
Dublin

County
Dublin

Summary

Patrick Ryan, 37, a Dublin crystal‑meth addict, was sentenced to eight years' imprisonment for 16 robberies committed between January 2014 and January 2015. He admitted to stealing cash ranging from €136 to €1,400 from shops, petrol stations and businesses, as well as phones and cash from individuals. Ryan's crimes involved knives, syringes and an imitation firearm, and victims' ages ranged from young to 79‑year‑old. He had 129 prior convictions, including 12 robberies, 18 aggravated burglaries and two false imprisonment offences. Judge Martin Nolan, noting Ryan's guilty pleas and "sad" background, imposed a 10‑year sentence with consecutive elements and suspended the final two years. Ryan claimed he had been drug‑free for two years before the offences and that his drug habit had driven the robberies. The court accepted his admissions and the evidence presented by Gardaí and the prosecution.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Crystal meth addict who committed 16 robberies within 12 months is jailed for eight years. Charges or matters: robbing cash amounts ranging from €136 to €1,400 at shops, petrol stations and businesses around the city between January 31, 2014 and January 4, 2015; robbing phones and cash amounts from individuals over the same period. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

January 2014 Hearing Or Sentence
January 2015 Hearing Or Sentence
January 31, 2014 Incident
January 4, 2015 Incident
May 5, 2014 Other
May 8 Other
December 23, 2014 Hearing Or Sentence
Christmas Eve 2014 Other
Christmas Other
2015-11-27 Publication

Why: Ryan said he spent all of the €51,000 he'd gotten from a legal settlement and found himself €13,000 in debt because of his crystal meth habit. CNI source report

Case subjects

Patrick Ryan

Defendant

Charges: robbing cash amounts ranging from €136 to €1,400 at shops, petrol stations and businesses around the city between January 31, 2014 and January 4, 2015; robbing phones and cash amounts from individuals over the same period (Admitted)

Plea: Guilty

Outcome: Patrick Ryan (37) told Judge Martin Nolan that he'd had nowhere to live after his release from a three year sentence and ended up in a "crack house" where he took crystal meth. He imposed a 10-year sentence with consecutive elements and suspended the final two years of the total term.