Courts / Dublin / Report

Brave Paddy Power worker helped unmask repeat robber

Date
2026-07-29

Stage
Charge Or Pretrial

Primary locality
Dublin

County
Dublin

Summary

A brave Paddy Power worker helped unmask a repeat robber by pulling at his face covering during a raid, enabling gardaí to identify him from CCTV. Charles Darcy, who has 64 previous convictions, claims to have undergone a "sea change" and wants to attend drug treatment. He pleaded guilty to robbery of car keys and unauthorised taking of a car and robbery at Paddy Power. Judge Jonathan Dunphy said he was not prepared to "roll the dice" by immediately releasing Darcy to attend residential treatment. He ordered a probation report and adjourned the case until October 9 for finalisation. The court heard that Darcy had a significant poly-substance addiction problem and these crimes were committed to get money to fuel that addiction. He has a difficult history and has been in and out of custody since he was a young man. He has had a recent awakening with the help of his sister, who is committed to helping put him on the right track.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Brave Paddy Power worker helped unmask repeat robber. Charges or matters: robbery of car keys; unauthorised taking of a car; production of a knife on the basis of common design; robbery at Paddy Power. Procedural stage: charge_or_pretrial

When:

November 17, 2025 Other
November 22, 2025 Incident
October 9 Adjournment
February 2026 Incident
2026-07-29 Publication

Case subjects

Charles Darcy

Defendant

Charges: robbery of car keys; unauthorised taking of a car; production of a knife on the basis of common design; robbery at Paddy Power (Admitted)

Plea: Guilty

Outcome: adjourned the case until October 9 for finalisation