Stephen Freeman loses appeal over attempted robbery sentence

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

Stephen Freeman lost his appeal against a 10-year prison sentence for attempted robbery, with the final two suspended. The proceedings were reported on 15 October 2015.

At Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, he had pleaded guilty to attempted robbery with others at Bank of Ireland on Parliament Street in Kilkenny. The offence happened on 3 November 2009. Judge Desmond Hogan handed down the sentence on 28 July.

Mr Justice Garrett Sheehan dismissed the appeal alongside Mr Justice John Edwards and Mr Justice Alan Mahon. In explaining the decision, Mr Justice Garrett Sheehan described the attempted robbery as an exceptionally serious example of the offence.

Mr Justice Garrett Sheehan said Adrian Ronan and his wife woke at 5am to find three masked, armed men beside their bed. The report said his wife was restrained in a bathroom, while their three children were forced downstairs at gunpoint.

According to Mr Justice Garrett Sheehan, the raiders ordered Adrian Ronan to obtain €3m from Bank of Ireland, his employer. They threatened to shoot his wife if he failed to comply.

The report said his wife was held at a disused weather station, tied to a chair for eight hours. Adrian Ronan drove himself and his three children to the bank and alerted his manager. Mr Justice Garrett Sheehan said the family remained significantly traumatised.