A DRUG addict who robbed the same building society twice and then headbutted a garda when he escaped from court will not spend any extra time in prison because of his current 20-year sentence for other offences.
Jason Smith (35) was given the total of 20 years in consecutive sentences last March for seven robberies he committed to pay, he said, €25,000 to "people you don't want to mess with".
Smith, of Foxdene Drive, Clondalkin, Dublin, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to robbing the EBS office in Drumcondra, Dublin, on December 6th, 2006 and March 2nd, 2007.
He also admitted escaping from custody at Kilmainham District Court and assault causing harm to Garda David Gibson, on the same occasion on December 5th, 2007.
Judge Patrick McCartan agreed with defence counsel Breffni Gordon that society would not be served by adding to Smith's sentence and imposed four years each for the robberies and two years for the escape and assault to run concurrently with the current term.
Smith has been abusing drugs since he was 13 and has been HIV positive for the last 18 years. His 50 previous convictions include 29 for robbery, the court heard.
Evidence was given that Garda Gibson gave chase after Smith and another prisoner escaped from Kilmainham District Court. Smith headbutted the garda twice, chipping his teeth, before being restrained with the help of another man. Garda Gibson suffered a torn calf muscle, chipped teeth and bad bruising, and was off work for two months.