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Clothes shop robber avoids jail for now after court hears he is sole carer for ill child
Summary
In February 2016, Dermot Molloy, a 36‑year‑old from Meath, avoided immediate imprisonment after a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court judge heard he is the sole carer for a child with a severe birth defect. Lawyers argued that the child's condition, described as "expanding" rather than the microcephaly seen in Zika‑related cases, required extraordinary medical care. Molloy also cares for a partner's child who recently suffered self‑harm. The judge noted Molloy's compliance with bail since 2013 and his drug‑free status. Molloy, who pleaded guilty to a 2014 robbery at a boutique in Temple Bar, had threatened to use a syringe but claimed he was only armed with a pen. He said he robbed to buy food for his family, not drugs. Judge Nolan adjourned sentencing to July, citing Molloy's caregiving role and potential changes in his partner's condition. Molloy was still serving a suspended sentence from a 2013 robbery conviction.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Clothes shop robber avoids jail for now after court hears he is sole carer for ill child. Charges or matters: robbery on November 18, 2014 at Boutique Clothing Shop on Crown Alley, Temple Bar, Dublin. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- November 18, 2014 Incident
- April 2013 Other
- 2016-02-19 Publication
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: robbery on November 18, 2014 at Boutique Clothing Shop on Crown Alley, Temple Bar, Dublin (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: Molloy was still serving the suspended portion of a sentence when he carried out the robbery. In April 2013 Judge Nolan sentenced him to six years with two suspended for the robbery and attempted robbery of three beauty salons and two shops in Dublin.; He adjourned the sentence to next July when he will revisit the matter and decide what to do.
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