‘I know I won’t touch drugs again’ – Former Wicklow armed robber on rebuilding his life after prison

By Darragh McCann, The Wicklow People

Kevin* spent years involved in serious crime in north Wicklow and in some of Ireland’s toughest prisons, a lifestyle that eventually caught up with him.

Today, he says he is a very different man. Since his release from Midlands Prison, Kevin has been rebuilding his life and trying to leave his criminal past behind

Growing up on a council estate in Bray, Kevin began offending at the age of 10 years old.

“I knew how to hotwire a car from the time I was 12. Those older cars were easy to rob,” he said.

I wouldn’t be at home sitting around thinking, ‘they haven’t got a television anymore’, you know, f**k that

Born into a family he claims included career criminals and drug addicts, a turbulent childhood followed.

Marked by significant trauma, including his parent’s separation, Kevin says his experiences led him towards drinking and drugs as a juvenile.

He began serious offending from the age of 15.

“You want this, you want that, so I started committing armed robberies, burglaries and all sorts,” he said.

While having your house broken into is one of the worst feelings a person can experience, Kevin said he never thought about the impact his crimes were having on his victims.

“I never thought about it. It wouldn’t come into my head. If I got a couple of grand out of it, I was happy. I got what I got.”

He added: “I wouldn’t be at home sitting around thinking, they haven’t got a television anymore, you know, f**k that.”

Money was the main motivator, Kevin says, but some of it was simply “senseless criminality”, stating: “We would just get into stupid trouble for burning stuff.”

Kevin claims he became something of a specialist in armed robbery, saying he has spent years in prison because of his offending.

His father left following a trauma in the family, which Kevin says caused his mother to turn to drugs.

Looking back at his “laundry list” of alleged crimes, Kevin admits his mindset at the time was simple. “I only look back thinking, shit. I only cared about the ones I was caught for.”

His biggest alleged score from an armed robbery was €86,000. “I was doing three or four a month, driving all around the country,” he said.

When asked if this life had left him with any regrets, he replied: “My own regret is not doing enough of them.”

The consequences of his actions led to him serving a sentence at 17 in an adult prison due to St Patrick’s Institution closing down. A report on St Patrick’s Institution released in 2012 had found a history of human rights abuse against prisoners.

“I went to a man’s jail, but it was segregated, thank God,” said Kevin.

Recalling his first day in jail, the loss of freedom was a daunting thought, said Kevin, adding: “I went to Wheatfield, on the kids’ landing. I remember thinking, ‘what is going on?’. Doors banging, screws walking around. For two or three days, I kept thinking, ‘What have you done?’.”

Spending your 18th birthday in prison is not something anyone would want, with Kevin recalling prisoners fighting over the Black Forest gâteau he got for his birthday.

After his release, Kevin went on to stay out of trouble with gardaí for four years, due to the birth of his child. But a drug addiction followed, which led him to begin selling drugs himself.

Kevin says today that he has been clean and sober since his release from prison, determined not to remain the same “hamster in a cage”.

I know I won’t touch drugs again. What drugs done to me, I hate them. It’s weird, it’s my first time clean, experiencing both sides of drugs is crazy

Now, he is rebuilding himself from the ground up and working a legitimate job.

“Working a job isn’t easy with a criminal record. I went for a job and was told, ‘we can’t have you here’.”

He says people often look at him differently because of his past, but those who knew him before can see the change.

“Everyone looks at you different, but not my own people. They can see me now and they stop me and say. ‘you are looking well’.”

The glitz and glamour of armed robberies, money and high-speed chases hold no appeal for Kevin anymore. “I just want to work and live a normal life,” he said.

Changing his surroundings since his release has worked for him so far, with him remarking: “I work, then shower and get myself into bed. That’s how I keep myself out of it.”

He no longer sees himself as the same person who once stole cars for the thrill of it. “I look at it now and think, ‘how would I feel if someone robbed my car?’.” He said.

Recalling some of the moments that stuck with him from his prison sentences, he said: “These two lads walked down the steps to the yard. A fella put his hand against the other guy’s cheek and cut him from ear to lip.

“He never even bled. When he pulled his hand away, his face flopped and you could see his teeth. It was the worst cutting I ever seen.”

A man who was smuggling drugs also got a harsh reality check, according to Kevin.

“He came into prison on his first day and he had a blade and drugs in his arse, so while he had his legs up in the air trying to get the drugs out, other prisoners came along and cut him in the arse, using his own blade”.

Kevin recalled robbing an Audi and bringing gardaí on a high-speed chase, which he describes as his “wake-up moment”, after the owner tracked the car to his location. Which forced him to face his victim.

He says entering rehab will be another major turning point in his life, helping him maintain his sobriety and build a stronger bond with his daughter. It was the first time his child was aware he had been in prison, something that made him realise he was “sick of it”.

“Wake up, go to work, save up, go on holidays,” is the plan now.

Kevin says he knows he will not touch drugs again.

“I know I won’t touch drugs again. What drugs done to me, I hate them. It’s weird, it’s my first time clean, experiencing both sides of drugs is crazy.”

With that newfound perspective, and his daughter to think of, Kevin believes young people need greater access to support services before they become trapped in addiction and crime.

“If I can stop one kid going down the road I went down, that’s something,” he said.

*Kevin is not the man’s real name and has been used at his request to keep his identity hidden