Courts / Dublin / Report

Love/Hate star jailed after admitting to €50k armed robbery

Summary

Stephen Clinch, a film actor who starred in the Love/Hate TV series, has been sentenced to four and a half years in prison after admitting to possession of a firearm with the intention to commit robbery and to the robbery of €50,730 at The Gate Hotel, Parnell Street, Dublin on May 11, 2015. Clinch (49) of Millbrook Grove, Kilbarrack, Dublin, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. The court heard that Clinch had a history of heroin addiction and previous convictions for 17 robberies and 13 burglaries dating back to 2004. Character referees, including singer Damien Dempsey, Love/Hate producer Stuart Carolan, and film director Mark O'Connor, described Clinch as a friendly and reliable worker who had given back to his local community. The incident involved Clinch holding a loaded semi-automatic pistol to the head of a security worker, Michel Cieslik, and demanding cash. Maintenance worker Barry Smith attempted to block the robbers' escape but was punched by Clinch. Garda Niall McCormack stated that the gun had been altered to discharge live ammunition, but the rounds found were not suitable for use in the pistol. Judge Martin Nolan described the incident as 'incredibly frightening' and noted the victim's fear for his life. Clinch claimed he did not know the gun was loaded and that he committed the robbery due to a debt of €8,000 from hiding a consignment of drugs. The matter was finalised at the sentence stage.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Love/Hate star jailed after admitting to €50k armed robbery. Charges or matters: possession of a firearm with intention to commit robbery and to robbery of €50,730 at The Gate Hotel, Parnell Street, Dublin on May 11, 2015. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

• May 11, 2015 Incident
• 2016-03-08 Publication

Why: He said he did it because he owed €8,000 as a result of the discovery of a consignment of drugs he had being given to hide. CNI source report

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Drugs Firearms Stage Sentence Theft

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Read the original CNI report