Courts / Dublin / Report
Valentine's day robber went back to try raid same shop eight years later
Summary
A man who robbed a service station on Valentine's Day in 2013 was charged eight years later after he was caught attempting to rob the same location again. Brian Comiskey (46) was initially arrested in 2013 after the robbery was featured on RTE's Crimecall, but there was not enough evidence to charge him. In 2021, he was spotted by an off-duty detective entering the same service station with a hammer and face covering. He was apprehended before he could take any money and confessed to the 2013 robbery, though this confession was not admissible. Comiskey pleaded guilty to the 2013 charges and was sentenced to one year in jail for the 2021 robbery. He was released in 2023 and has 45 previous convictions. Sergeant Bernard Dunne detailed the 2013 robbery, where Comiskey stole €700 from the service station and a screwdriver from a nearby store. His defense claimed he has since made significant personal improvements, including sobriety and steady employment.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Valentine's day robber went back to try raid same shop eight years later. Charges or matters: one count of robbery at the Texaco service station in Shankill on February 14, 2013, and to one count of burglary on the same day at Centra, also in Shankill. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- February 14, 2013 Incident
- 2025-12-18 Publication
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: one count of robbery at the Texaco service station in Shankill on February 14, 2013, and to one count of burglary on the same day at Centra, also in Shankill (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: He was sentenced to one year in jail for the 2021 robbery offence and was released from custody in 2023. Judge Martina Baxter sentenced Comiskey to three and a half years on the robbery count and two and a half years on the burglary count, with both sentences to run concurrently, and credit was given for time already served for this offence.
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