The Court of Appeal has upheld a 10-year prison sentence, with the final three years suspended, imposed on Keith Meehan for five robberies and one attempted robbery.
The offences took place between June 2010 and April 2011 and involved pharmacies, shops, a bookmaker and a service station. Imitation firearms or gestures intended to make staff believe a weapon was present featured repeatedly.
The first robbery occurred at Mark Ellis Pharmacy on June 14, 2010, shortly after Meehan had been released from a five-and-a-half-year prison sentence. He and an accomplice entered with an imitation firearm and stole 700 tablets and €80.
Further robberies followed at Knocklyon Service Station, Flood’s Bookmakers, Odd Bins and a Spar shop at Woodbine Park. The amounts taken included €900 from the service station, €3,000 from the bookmaker, €850 plus cigarettes and vodka from Odd Bins, and €347 from the Spar.
Meehan admitted three of those robberies when questioned by Gardaí. The Court of Appeal noted that those admissions were valuable and that, in some instances, there would not otherwise have been sufficient evidence to charge him.
His final offence was an attempted robbery at O’Sullivan’s Pharmacy on Ballymount Road on April 23, 2011. He entered with an imitation firearm, but the owner activated a panic button and Meehan was arrested shortly afterwards.
Meehan argued on appeal that insufficient credit had been given for his early guilty plea, admissions and prospects of rehabilitation.
The court rejected that argument. It noted his longstanding heroin addiction but also his extensive criminal record: 61 previous convictions, including 16 for robbery.
The judges held that the offences were extremely serious and required a substantial custodial sentence, particularly because Meehan returned to robbery soon after his release from prison.
The court found that the trial judge had expressly considered the early plea and admissions. It concluded that the sentence was not excessive and required no intervention.