D. MCD’s detention sentence replaced on appeal

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

The Court of Appeal quashed D. MCD’s four-year detention sentence and substituted four years’ imprisonment, with the final eight months suspended. The judgment was dated 9 June 2020.

D. MCD had been sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on 12 April 2019 following convictions on three counts of false imprisonment, three counts of robbery and two counts of assault under section 3. He had entered an early guilty plea.

The offences arose from an incident on 27 June 2018 involving three 15-year-old boys. The source said a group including D. MCD threatened the boys, took their phones and money and moved through several locations. The boys were assaulted during an incident lasting about an hour and a half.

The appeal court found that the sentencing judge had erred by not specifically considering deferring finalisation of the sentence until D. MCD reached adulthood, which would have allowed part-suspension to be considered. It said the gravity of the offences required a significant custodial period and intervened to a limited extent.

The suspension requires D. MCD to enter a bond to keep the peace and be of good behaviour during custody and for three years after release. He must also be supervised by the Probation Service for the first eight months after release and comply with its directions.