Five gardaí needed to arrest man after Dunnes Stores incident
The Wicklow PeopleA Dublin man with 160 previous convictions has been sentenced to 20 months imprisonment after violently resisting arrest during a shoplifting incident at Dunnes Stores in Bray.
David Dwyer (43), with an address at 16 Deansrath Avenue, Clondalkin, Dublin 22, appeared for sentencing at Bray District Court via video link. Mr Dwyer pleaded guilty to two counts of assault, and criminal damage.
The court heard that on April 28, 2025, at 3:10 p.m., Mr Dwyer was detained by a security guard at Dunnes Stores in Bray while attempting to leave the premises without paying for grocery items.
Mr Dwyer proceeded to kick the security staff. Gardaí were alerted, and when they arrived on scene, it took five members of An Garda Siochána to arrest him as he was “violently resisting”.
Sergeant Mike Canavan told the court that during the scuffle damage was caused to the glass window at the front of the store and to an alarm system.
Mr Dwyer has 160 previous convictions, including 10 for theft offences. He was sentenced to 10 months imprisonment on unrelated matters in October 2025.
Counsel for the defence, Thomas Finerty BL, asked for leniency due to his client pleading guilty at the earliest possible opportunity.
Judge David Kennedy remarked that Mr Dwyer has “an atrocious record”. He sentenced the defendant to 20 months imprisonment, to run concurrently. The sentence was not backdated to the date he went into custody.