Courts / Dublin / Report

Suspended sentence for man who robbed taxi driver outside garda station

Summary

Mark McCann, 23, pleaded guilty to robbery of a taxi driver's phone and car keys outside Swords Garda Station on 1 May 2012. He had 13 prior convictions. The driver, who had undergone heart surgery, was concerned about his pacemaker when McCann and accomplice Claire Lawlor (26) attempted to rob him. McCann grabbed the driver in a choke hold and punched him, then fled with the driver's keys and phone. McCann was arrested in March 2013 and claimed memory loss due to drug use. Judge Melanie Greally, noting McCann's genuine efforts to reform, imposed a four‑year sentence suspended for four years. Lawlor received a two‑and‑a‑half‑year suspended sentence the previous year. The court highlighted both defendants' recent positive changes and their disassociation from each other. The case was heard at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Suspended sentence for man who robbed taxi driver outside garda station. Charges or matters: robbery in the man's taxi outside Swords Garda Station on May 1, 2012. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

• May 1, 2012 Hearing Or Sentence
• March 2013 Incident
• 2016-03-10 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Drugs Stage Sentence Theft

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Read the original CNI report