John McKeon jailed for hammer robbery and serious assault

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

John McKeon was sentenced to 12 and a half years, with the final 18 months suspended, at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on 13 December 2019 for robbery, attempted robbery and assault causing serious harm. The offences occurred at Eurospar in Swords and Tansey’s Newsagent in Finglas, Dublin, on 18 March 2017.

The court heard that Mr McKeon struck shopkeeper Kevin Tansey three times with a claw hammer during the attempted robbery. Mr Tansey suffered a severe traumatic brain injury, which doctors said was potentially fatal.

A jury had convicted Mr McKeon of the offences after a trial. The sentence followed evidence about the attack’s serious impact on Mr Tansey and his family.