Rainis Koovit sentenced for syringe robbery in Dublin

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

Rainis Koovit was sentenced to three years, with one year suspended, for robbery and producing a syringe to cause injury or intimidate, at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, reported on 14 February 2018. The robbery took place at Kaph Cafe on Drury Street, Dublin, where he threatened a barista with a syringe and took about €20 in foreign currency.

Koovit had pleaded guilty to both offences. The court heard that he claimed to be HIV-positive during the incident, although the syringe was not believed to be infected. Judge Karen O’Connor treated his early guilty plea, admissions and apologies as mitigating factors, while noting that he had been on bail and ordered to stay away from Dublin 2.