John Murphy gets suspended sentence for theft

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

John Murphy pleaded guilty to theft and received a three-year sentence, suspended in full for four years, at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, reported on 17 July 2015. The offence occurred at an address in Foxrock, Dublin, on 28 October 2014.

Murphy and another man threatened to publish an elderly sex offender’s photograph unless he paid €10,000. The victim eventually gave Murphy €1,000 before gardaí arrested him during a further collection attempt.

The court ordered Murphy to pay €5,050 to the victim, keep the peace and comply with probation services for two years. The conditions also included four years of good behaviour.

The judge described the operation as involving surveillance and videoing of the victim before the money demands. Murphy had been unable to enter a restorative justice programme because he lived outside its remit area.