A teenager who raided the same service station four times in two months has been given a two year sentence with the final year suspended
Darren Rowe (19) smashed the window of the cashier area each time, using variously a fire extinguisher, Calor Gas bottle, traffic cone and hammer, and climbed in to steal cash or take the till drawer. The window was repaired at a cost of €295 each time.
Rowe, of St Patricks Crescent, Monkstown, Dun Laoighaire, pleaded guilty to robbery and criminal damage at Texaco, Abbey Road, Monkstown on dates between December 20th, 2012 and February 28, 2013.
Rowe also pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to robbery at Georges Street Upper, Dun Laoighaire and theft of a bicycle at Clarinda Park East, Dun Laoighaire on October 22, 2013. He was on bail for the earlier offences at the time.
The court heard the crimes were committed to feed a drug addiction which Rowe has since addressed. He has eleven previous convictions.
Judge James O’Donoghue imposed consecutive sentences totalling two years and suspended the final year on strict conditions. Rowe has served five months in custody, which was taken into account, meaning he will serve a balance of seven months imprisonment.
Garda Brian Davern told Caroline Cummings BL, prosecuting, that a shop assistant working at the service station on December 20, 2012 heard a loud bang in the early hours of the morning and saw a man hitting a fire extinguisher against the till area window.
The man then kicked the glass in, climbed through the hole in the window, and took €850 from the till. He also had a knife, which he waved in a threatening manner. Staff pressed the panic button.
The same staff member was also present for the next two incidents, on January 19th when the window was again smashed with a fire extinguisher, and on February 7th, 2013 when the window was smashed with a Calor Gas bottle. Rowe again got away with sums of money.
On February 28, 2013 a different staff member was present when he saw a person with a balaclava banging a traffic cone against the window. He went to ring gardai and watched from the office on CCTV as the robber dropped the cone and smashed the glass with a hammer. He climbed through the window and made off with €450.
The incidents were captured on CCTV but the raider's face was covered on each occasion.
The gardai received information Rowe was a potential culprit and arrested him. He made early admissions and agreed he had participated in all four incidents.
Gda Davern agreed with Sandra Frayne BL, defending, that the offences were a direct result of Rowe's drug addiction which he has since made efforts to address.
Conor Brooks, an after care worker with the HSE, told Ms Frayne that Rowe was making progress in his education, addiction therapy and general stability in his life. He said Rowe was proactively looking for support and was not the same person he was a few years ago.
Garda Eamon Moylan told Ms Cummins that Rowe entered a Dun Laoighaire news agents in October 2013 with an accomplice and demanded money. He jumped on the counter waving a knife before making off with €280 and a HTC mobile phone.
Rowe was located in the garden of a house in Clarinda Park East and had removed a bicycle from a rack at the rear of the house. Gardai recovered €55 and the phone, which had its screen broken.
Gda Moylan agreed with Ms Frayne that Rowe made early admissions and that the motivation for the offence was drugs.
Ms Frayne submitted Rowe had severe comprehension problems and was young at the time of the offences.
