Man jailed for knifepoint mugging while on bail

A Wicklow man mugged a Spanish national at knifepoint while on bail for a separate knifepoint robbery, a court has heard.

Aiden Hargreaves (20) pleaded guilty to attempted robbery at Harbour Court, Dublin, on October 31st, 2018, and to robbery at Carlingford Parade, Dublin, on January 29th, 2019.

At Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on Wednesday, Judge Martin Nolan sentenced Hargreaves to consecutive terms of imprisonment of three years and two years for each offence.

The final 15 months of the sentence were suspended on strict conditions.

Garda Ciara Maguire told Michael Hourigan BL, prosecuting, that on the date in October 2018 a man had stopped to roll a cigarette in a lane when he was approached by the accused.

Hargreaves produced a knife and the man backed away, grabbing a bottle from a bin which he smashed.

The accused, with an address at Druid's Brook, Kilcoole, Co Wicklow, fled the scene when a car drove down the lane.

Garda Daniel Manning told Mr Hourigan that in January 2019 while on bail for the previous offence, the accused had met a Spanish national on his way home from a pub and asked him for the time of day.

Hargreaves then asked if he could write a message on the man’s mobile phone and was declined. The accused then produced a knife and asked for the man’s wallet and phone, which he handed over.

Hargreaves has 33 previous convictions, including convictions for burglary, theft, possession of drugs and failure to comply with direction of a garda member.

Tom Neville BL, defending, said his client began to take heroin at the age of 15 and was taken into care at the same age. He said that Hargreaves was effectively homeless between his time in care and being taken into custody.

Judge Nolan said he accepted Hargreaves had had "a pretty difficult life", but said he had no choice but to impose consecutive sentences due to the second offence being committed while the accused was on bail.