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Criminal who demanded money from two families gets six years

Summary

Patrick McGregor, 39, was sentenced to six years' imprisonment after pleading guilty to four counts of demanding money with menaces from two families in North Dublin in November and December 2024, and to theft of a Ring doorbell and acquisition of €5,000 as proceeds of crime. He also pleaded guilty to possessing a heavy‑duty stun gun without a valid certificate. McGregor claimed he had been threatened by men over a drug debt owed by others and that he took it upon himself to collect the money, admitting he had acted in the "wrong way" and was "deeply ashamed". The court heard that he had threatened to burn the families' houses and that a taser gun was seized during a search of his home. He has 101 previous convictions, mainly for traffic offences. The sentence was back‑dated to the date of his arrest.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Criminal who demanded money from two families gets six years. Charges or matters: four counts of demanding money with menaces from two addresses in North Dublin on dates in November and December 2024; the theft of a Ring doorbell and acquiring €5,000, knowing it to be the proceeds of crime. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

• December 2024 Incident
• February 5 Incident
• November 2024 Incident
• 2025-10-10 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Drugs Stage Sentence Theft

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Read the original CNI report