Courts / Dublin / Report
Would-be tourist office robber told gardai he was "laughed out of the place", got in to wrong getaway car
Summary
Patrick Ryan, 38, was tried for robbing a tourist office in Dublin's city centre. He claimed the gun he used was a toy wrapped in black tape and that he was "laughed out of the place" by the workers. Ryan had a large drug debt owed to criminals for his crystal‑meth addiction. The debt holders drove him around the city and forced him to commit robberies to repay it. He pleaded guilty to robbery of Londis and attempted robbery of the Tourist Information Office on College Green on 21 September 2012, and to possession of an imitation firearm. He is already serving an eight‑year sentence for 16 robberies committed in a 12‑month period. Judge Melanie Greally added a five‑year sentence with two years suspended, to run concurrently with his existing term. Ryan's history includes 135 prior convictions, including false imprisonment, burglary and aggravated burglary.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Would-be tourist office robber told gardai he was "laughed out of the place", got in to wrong getaway car. Charges or matters: robbery of Londis and attempted robbery of The Tourist Information Office, both on College Green on September 21, 2012. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- September 21, 2012 Incident
- 2016-04-28 Publication
Why: Judge Melanie Greally noted Ryan's long standing drug addiction and said she would not add to his "severe" sentence because the robberies she was dealing with were close in time to the ones he was jailed for. CNI source report
Case subjects
Convicted Person
Charges: robbery of Londis and attempted robbery of The Tourist Information Office, both on College Green on September 21, 2012 (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: He is currently serving an eight year jail sentence imposed last year for committing 16 robberies over a 12 month period. She imposed a five year sentence with two years suspended and directed that it run alongside his current sentence.
Places mentioned
Topics
Burglary Drugs Stage Sentence Theft
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