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Armed raider who fired shot and terrified customers has sentence increased
Summary
In February 2025 the Court of Appeal increased the sentence of Paul Clarke, 42, who had previously been convicted 115 times. Clarke, who had been released on bail for a robbery, later robbed a Lidl on Malahide Road on 13 November 2019, firing a handgun into the ceiling and threatening the manager. The original six‑year term, set by Judge Orla Crowe in October 2023, was deemed too lenient. The appeal judge, Mr Justice Brian O'Moore, imposed a new headline term of nine and a half years, reduced to seven years and one month after mitigation. Five months of the effective sentence were suspended for four years to encourage Clarke to avoid drug use. The new term will run from the date of the original hearing. The decision was based on CCTV evidence of the shooting, the threat to staff, and Clarke's extensive criminal history.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Armed raider who fired shot and terrified customers has sentence increased. Procedural stage: appeal
When:
- October 2023 Incident
- November 13, 2019 Hearing Or Sentence
- June 30, 2025 Incident
- October 20, 2023 Other
- 2025-02-06 Publication
Why: Mr Berry said because Clarke had an expected release date of June 30, 2025 for later matters, and as the jail term imposed by Judge Crowe commenced from the date of sentence on October 20, 2023, there was "a degree of overlap" in the sentences. CNI source report
Case subjects
Convicted Person
Outcome: Clarke, formerly of Coolock Drive, Coolock, Dublin, was sentenced to six years' imprisonment in October 2023 by Judge Orla Crowe after pleading guilty to robbing a Lidl on the Malahide Road with a handgun on November 13, 2019. He said in those circumstances, the effective reduction in sentence resulting from the decision to have it run from the date it was imposed rendered the sentence "unduly lenient" and constituted an error in principle on the part of the judge.
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