Man jailed for five years over €50,000 cash-in-transit theft

A man who robbed a cash in transit box containing €50,000 a month after he robbed a teenager of €1,700 worth of entertainment equipment, has been sentenced to five years in prison.

Michael Byrne (25) had taken a cocktail of up to 40 tablets and heroin on the day he robbed a G4 security van. He told gardaí he "didn't mean to do it" but had owed money.

Byrne of Thornville Drive, Kilbarrack, Dublin pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to robbing a G4 cash box from a cash in transit van at Raheny Shopping Centre on April 27th, 2014.

He also pleaded guilty to robbery of an iPhone, iPad Mini, iPad classic, Beats by Dr Dre headphones with a total value of €1,700 from a teenager on the Dart from Sutton to Bayside on March 1st, 2014.

Garda Andrew Fox told Roisin Lacey BL, prosecuting that Byrne was travelling in a stolen car wearing a balaclava when it approached the cash-in-transit van at Raheny Shopping Centre. Byrne approached one of the security workers and struck him in the upper chest area causing him to fall onto his back and hit his head off the ground.

Byrne then grabbed the security box and jumped into a waiting car. The car was driven to Coolock Industrial Estate where the driver tried to open the cash box by reversing the car against a building. As this was unsuccessful, Byrne then threw the box over a fence and jumped after it before the car was set on fire.

Garda Fox said Byrne and two other males were seen running along the back walls of houses at Marigold Estate in Darndale. Byrne had dye on his hands and clothes. The cash box was located in a garden shed with a pick axe sticking out of it.

The money was still in the box but was covered in green dye. Hats and balaclavas were also found in the garden shed.

Byrne made full admissions to gardaí­ and told gardaí­ “I am sorry for doing what I did today, I was f***ed up.”

Garda Sinead Heaney told the court a teenage boy was on the Dart travelling to a performing arts class in the city when Byrne and another man sat near him.

The teen told gardaí­ Byrne had started to talk to him and commented on his iPhone 5S. Byrne grabbed his mobile phone and the other man warned him if he did not stop shouting he would punch him in the face.

Byrne went through the teenager’s bag and took his entertainment equipment, leaving the teen terrified. Byrne was later arrested after gardaí­ viewed CCTV footage.

Defence counsel Pieter Le Vert BL, said Byrne has had a chaotic family background and from an early age began abusing drugs and alcohol.

Judge Nolan said both robberies were serious and well-planned and surrounding and robbing a teen was “nasty” but that Byrne had made “useful admissions.”