Knife-wielding raider chased off by shop owner
JAIL SENTENCE FOR MAN WHOSE GETAWAY CAR WAS TRACKED DOWN THROUGH CCTV
A MAN carrying an eight-inch kitchen knife was confronted by a brave shopkeeper during an attempted raid, a Wexford court was told last week.
Before Wexford Circuit Court was John Roche, of 41 Liam Mellows Park, Wexford, who pleaded guilty to attempted robbery at Brady’s Mace in The Burrow, Kilmore Quay, on September 8, 2017.
In Garda evidence it was stated that Roche, who had entered the store brandishing a knife, was chased from the shop and pursued by shopkeeper John Brady who shouted ‘I’ll give you money alright, I’ll take your head off ’, before throwing two bottles of vodka in Roche’s direction as he made his getaway in a waiting car.
Det. Garda Brian Cummins told the court that at 8.50 p.m. on September 8 John Roche had approached the counter in Brady’s Mace store carrying an eight-inch kitchen knife and shouting ‘give me the money’. On seeing the man enter with a knife, the shop owner’s wife had called her husband who refused to hand over any money, chasing him from the store.
Det. Garda Cummins said Mrs. Brady was very grateful that her husband was present at the time and able come to her assistance.
He said that he registration number of the getaway vehicle was identified through CCTV and it was subsequently located and seized from outside a house in Wexford town. Suspicious items were found and the defendant was later arrested and brought to Wexford Garda Station where he made a full admission.
The court was told that Roche, who has 21 previous convictions, had been in custody on this matter since December.
Jordan Fletcher, for the Defence, said that Roche had attempted to rob the store as he had run up a substantial drug debt.
He said that his client had made a full admission on arrest, was at a particularly low point with drugs at the time of the attempted robbery, and was really sorry for what had happened.
Mr Fletcher said that Roche had been smoking cannabis and taking tablets from the age of 12, and on the night of this offence was heavily addicted. He has a five year-old child who will start school this year and the likelihood is that he will now miss out on this.
Judge Cormac Quinn said the aggravating factor is that this was an attempt at robbery while brandishing a knife.
He sentenced Roche to four years in prison, with the final eighteen months suspended, on condition that the defendant enter a bond of €200 to keep the peace for eighteen months, and that on his release come under the supervision of the Probation Services.
The sentence was backdated to December 12, the date the defendant was taken into custody.