Louth robber (28) who entered shop armed with spiked wooden bat given jail sentence
A man who tried to rob a shop while armed with a wooden bat which had spikes or nails protruding from it, has been jailed.
Lee Buchan (28), St Finian’s Park, Drogheda, pleaded guilty to an attempted robbery at Maxol, Ballymakenny Road, Drogheda.
He also admitted robbery of another shop in Dunleer and burglary at a bookmakers’ office.
The father of one was sent to prison for a total of four years and one month.
Dundalk Circuit Court heard that in the early hours of September 1, 2021, Boylesports in Scarlet Street, Drogheda, was broken into through a hole in the roof.
Nothing was taken and there was no evidence that full entry had been gained to the premises.
The defendant was indentified from his distinctive gait on CCTV and DNA from the handle of a hammer left at the scene.
On April 7, 2022, he was part of a gang which targetted Centra in Dunleer.
Two other men forced their way into the shop at 5.40am and threatened to slash the face of a staff member in a back room.
Mr Buchan remained in the front portion of the building. He stole beer and cigarettes.
Again, he was identified from CCTV as a front seat passenger in a blue Ford Focus which was picked up on camera outside Drogheda following the offending.
The defendant was one of two men who entered Maxol, Ballymakenny Road, Drogheda, at 9.30pm on November 7, 2022, after pulling up in a Renault Clio.
He carried a wooden bat with spikes or nails protruding from the end of it. His unknown accomplice, and the driver, had a knife. One wore a mask and the other had his face half covered.
Two young part-time workers couldn’t access the safe and the men fled empty-handed in the car.
The victims left their jobs afterwards. The manager struggled to replace them because it was not the first robbery at the premises.
A probation report said that Lee Buchan, who has 90 previous convictions, had minimal acceptance of his responsibility and victim awareness.
He later stated that he accepted his punishment if it provided comfort to the victims.
The defendant, who began using drugs at 13 and also abused alcohol, was assessed at high risk of reoffending.
He instructed counsel that he was off drugs for the first time while in custody.
A total of five years and nine months was imposed by Judge Dara Hayes, the final 18 months suspended and backdated to November 13, 2025.