A prominent Dublin criminal has gone on the run after absconding from Dublin Circuit Criminal Court where he was due to be sentenced yesterday on serious armed robbery charges.
Jeffrey Mitchell (29), Monasterboice Road, Crumlin, pleaded guilty in May to the theft of £52,109 in cash from a businessman, Mr Daniel McCagney, at the Tallaght bypass on December 12th, 2001.
Three others, Paul Atkinson (24), Daniel Rogers (23) and Ciara Nolan (23), all from Tallaght, were also due to be sentenced along with Mitchell for the same offence.
When the case was mentioned yesterday morning, Judge Elizabeth Dunne was told that Mitchell had a number of cases listed in the Green Street court before Judge Joseph Matthews.
Mr Dominic McGinn, prosecuting, said these cases may have been in relation to a suspended sentence imposed on Mitchell by Judge Matthews in April 2000. They may have been listed again because Mitchell was now in breach of that suspension.
Judge Dunne ordered that Mitchell go to Green Street and clarify the position in relation to those matters and then return so that he could be sentenced for the armed robbery.
Mr McGinn told Judge Dunne that he was instructed to ask that Mitchell be transferred to Green Street in custody.
She refused the application because she had no evidence as to why he should be put into custody. He had been remanded on continuing bail until now.
A short time later Judge Dunne issued a bench warrant for Mitchell's arrest after being told that he had never arrived in Green Street.
Sgt Caroline Maloney said she had followed Mitchell up towards the court but at some point he disappeared from her view and never arrived before Judge Matthews.
Judge Dunne adjourned the sentence of all four until July 29th after also being told that Paul Atkinson had another case coming forward and it might be more appropriate to sentence each accused together.
She added that if Mitchell was not apprehended in the meantime she would deal with his three co- accused in any event on that day.
Mitchell is also due to appear before Dublin Circuit Criminal Court at some point in relation to charges of assaulting a prison officer in Mountjoy.
He has turned up in court at every other hearing of both cases to answer to his bail.