Darren White given 10-year suspended sentence for hotel and shop robberies

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

Darren White was sentenced to 10 years, suspended for 10 years, for 13 cash robberies at Dublin city hotels and one robbery at a Londis shop. Dublin Circuit Criminal Court also ordered him to complete 240 hours of community service.

The offences involved planning and targeted people, mostly young women working alone; some included the use or threat of a weapon. Judge Martina Baxter noted that White had been addicted to drugs at the time and had no prior convictions. She said he was drug-free, at low risk of reoffending and had substantially changed his life, and that custody was not appropriate given his rehabilitation.

White pleaded guilty, failed to appear for sentencing and travelled to the UK. He later returned to Ireland and started a family. The court heard he worked in film and television, took part in community activities and apologised to the victims.