Convicted killer held pregnant woman at knife point

A convicted killer who held a pregnant woman at knife point during a petrol station robbery has been sentenced to six years in prison with three suspended.

Derek O'Keeffe (39), of Derrypark, Crumlin, Dublin, pleaded guilty at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to two counts of robbery and one count of attempted robbery in three petrol stations over four days in November 2013.

His 36 previous convictions include manslaughter, possession of a syringe containing blood, assault causing harm, escape from custody and robbery.

The court heard O'Keeffe stole cash from a Maxol garage on Tymon Road, Tallaght, Dublin, on November 23rd, 2013. Two days later he attempted to rob Discount Fuels on Fortunestown Road, Tallaght, and took cash from a Topaz petrol station on Greenhills Road, Tallaght, on November 27th.

Over four days O’Keeffe threatened to stab a security guard with a syringe he claimed to have and grabbed a worker and told to him to “open the till or he was dead”. He was finally captured after gardaí chased him over 10 garden walls on November 27th.

Tony McGillicuddy, prosecuting, told the court that Anna Zajac was working on the till in the Topaz petrol station on Greenhills Road when O’Keeffe came up to her holding a 23in knife. He warned her not to press a panic button and forced her to open two tills which he stole cash from them.

In her victim impact statement Ms Zajac said that after the robbery she felt “emotionally destroyed”, was afraid to go home after dark and was concerned for her unborn child after consistent panic attacks.

Judge Patricia Ryan imposed partially suspended concurrent sentences on all of the robberies, backdating these to when O'Keeffe went into custody in November 2013.

She noted that reports suggest O’Keeffe, who works as a gym instructor in Cloverhill Prison, has dealt with his addictions and is of excellent behaviour.

Kieran Kelly, defending, submitted that his client intended to return to his partner on the Isle Of Man, where he had a job waiting for him on his release.

Garda Simon Whelan gave evidence that gardaí­ chased O’Keeffe over 10 garden walls before he was tackled and apprehended in a back garden.

Just two days earlier O’Keeffe told a security guard he had a syringe and threatened to stab the man with it during a failed attempt to rob money from Discount Fuels on November 25th.

On November 23rd, 2013, O’Keeffe was armed with a knife when he grabbed a worker in the Maxol garage on Tymon Road and told him to “open the till or he was dead”.