Louth man jailed for robbing pensioner (78) of her handbag in town centre
A man who robbed an elderly lady of her handbag in Dundalk town centre, returned to the same area the next day after escaping from garda custody and attempted to steal another woman’s handbag, has been jailed for two-and-a-half years.
Cian Kearney (29), Oldbridge, Toberona, Dundalk, pleaded guilty to charges of robbery and escaping from lawful custody, while one count of theft was taken into consideration.
Passing sentence at the circuit court, Judge Dara Hayes said that aggravating factors were the age of the victim at the time (78) and that she had been knocked to the ground, and having escaped from custody the defendant committed a further offence.
Det Gda Charlie Barrett gave evidence that on August 22, 2024, at Long Walk, the first victim felt a shove from behind and fell. People gathered around and another young man helped her up.
Her handbag had been taken. It contained a purse, keys, phone and rosary beads.
A bottle of wine among her shopping broke over her clothing and she thought it was blood.
She suffered a cut above an eye and bruising to the left side of her body. She was upset and shaken.
A civilian present shouted out that it was Cian Kearney who took the handbag. He was arrested by gardaí a short time later in Aisling Park.
During an interview CCTV footage was put to him. He denied his involvement.
Mr Kearney was held overnight at Dundalk Garda Station. The next day he escaped from custody and returned to the Long Walk where he was unsuccessful to steal another woman’s handbag around 1pm.
She described noticing a tall man. He made a grab for her bag which was in a trolley. The woman shouted, “Get your hands off my bag”.
When the defendant turned to run, the bag slipped from his hands. He smiled and said, “Only joking”.
A search was held. Mr Kearney returned to the garda station between 6 and 7pm with a solicitor.
Det Gda Barrett said photos were available of the first’s victim’s injuries. She was reluctant to let gardaí take pictures of the bruising down her side.
Since the incident the woman was worried about going out.
The court also heard that Cian Kearney has 46 previous convictions, all from the district court, including 28 for theft and two for Section 2 assault.
He is the father of two children, with a third on the way.
Mr Kearney got High Court bail on these charges to receive treatment. He did 12 weeks in a residential facility.
Lawyers for the accused said that a probation report outlined an addiction to alcohol and “street tablets” at the time. He had been spending €1,000 per month on drugs.
He expressed remorse for the lady’s fall but appeared to minimise some responsibility. He was assessed at high risk of reoffending.
At an adjourned sentence hearing, barrister Stephen Faulkner said that his client’s bail was revoked last February.
Mr Kearney would be moving from Dundalk to live with his partner who was expecting their child in June. He has two children from a prior relationship.
He had one clean urinalysis and had been unable to provide a second since his last court appearance.
The court noted a letter of apology in which he stated he was clean and sober and ashamed of his actions. He recognised that he had a big drink and drugs problem.
Judge Hayes sentenced him to four years for the robbery, concurrent to 18 months for escaping from lawful custody, and backdated to May 26, 2025.
In acknowledgement of the steps Mr Kearney has taken, the final 18 months were suspended for 18 months on conditions, including that he place himself under 12 months’ Probation Service supervision post release.