The Court of Appeal has upheld effective 12-year sentences imposed on Brian O’Sullivan and Marcus O’Rourke over a planned robbery at Waterville Post Office and the dangerous escape that followed.
Both men had also received three-year sentences for separate and unrelated drugs offences. Those terms were followed by consecutive nine-year sentences for the robbery-related offending, with the final two years of the overall sentence suspended.
The robbery happened on 3 August 2016. The post office owner was expecting a cash delivery when a vehicle entered Waterville and made several laps of the village. Two men then entered the post office, one carrying what appeared to be a firearm and the other a crowbar.
The owner activated a panic alarm. A gun was pointed towards her and glass was smashed to gain access behind the counter. Between about €4,000 and €5,000 was taken. A Dutch family visiting as tourists was also present.
The men fled onto the Ring of Kerry Road. Gardaí found the vehicle used in the robbery, but the appellants had transferred to a Mazda. When Gardaí later located it, O’Sullivan and O’Rourke had concealed themselves inside. The Mazda was then reversed into a Garda car before the two men were eventually found in heavy undergrowth.
The Court of Appeal said the use of two vehicles showed significant planning. It also treated the production of a firearm, the threat to the post office owner, high-speed driving on narrow roads and the deliberate collision with a Garda vehicle as serious aggravating features.
Both men had also committed the robbery while on bail. O’Rourke had 43 previous convictions and O’Sullivan had 52.
The court found no sentencing error and held that the terms imposed were within the appropriate range. Both appeals were dismissed.