A man involved in an attempted raid on an Allied Irish Bank branch at Abbeyleix, Co Laois has had two years of his 10 year sentence suspended. During the raid, a garda was accidentally killed by a colleague.
In December 2002, Ian Quinn, St Aonghus Road, Tymon North, Tallaght, was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for conspiring to rob the bank on December 7th 2001. During the attempted raid, in which Quinn and a number of others were involved, Det Sgt John Eiffe (40) died, after being accidentally shot by a colleague.
Presenting Quinn's appeal against severity of sentence at the Court of Criminal Appeal yesterday, Mr John Phelan SC argued that the trial judge had failed to consider a number of mitigating circumstances in the case.
He said the other raiders were in their 30s and had serious criminal records while Quinn was only 21 years old. While he had previous convictions, these were nothing like that of the other raiders involved. Mr Phelan also argued the trial judge did not have regard for Quinn's drug addiction and his heart problem.
Mr Alexander Owens SC, for the DPP, said there was nothing in the case which suggested that Quinn was being led.