A heroin addict who put a screwdriver to an 86-year-old woman's face and robbed her of £260 has been jailed for four years by Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Ms Elizabeth Drennan had saved the money for a new fridge. She was pushed to the ground and warned that she would not be hurt if she stopped screaming. Derek McMahon (28), of Fatima Mansions, also stole a chequebook from Ms Drennan's house before escaping with an accomplice in a stolen car.
McMahon's fingerprints were found on a window-sill and he pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary on August 16th, 1997. He had 21 previous convictions and is serving a 23-month sentence for burglary and car theft.
Mr Tom O'Connell, defending, said the attack was "vile and wicked", but McMahon had entered a drug rehabilitation programme and had apologised for the attack. Judge Elizabeth Dunne said Ms Drennan was a courageous woman. She set a sentence review date for January 2001.