A drug addict who robbed a taxi driver at knife-point and then created a stand-off with gardaí during which he stabbed himself has been sentenced to five years by Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Judge Katherine Delahunt suspended two years of the sentence and praised gardaí for the way they handled the arrest of Robert Kinlan (20) who had been known to them since the age of 10.
Kinlan, Ballygall Parade, Finglas, pleaded guilty to robbery, criminal damage, false imprisonment, assault causing harm and production of a knife in East Wall in June 2006. Kinlan was on temporary release to attend his brother John's funeral. He had 20 previous convictions for public order, road traffic, criminal damage and theft offences.
Judge Delahunt described his crimes as terrifying and horrific for the taxi driver and told Kinlan his significant criminal history "is as much an indictment on the system as it is on you".
Sgt William Hickey told Colm O'Briain, prosecuting, that the taxi driver picked up Kinlan at 4am. He asked to be taken to East Wall and when the car stopped he reached into his sock and pulled out a knife. Kinlan told the driver: "Give me all your f***ing money or I'll stab you. I've done it before, I'll do it again. I'm just out of prison."
Kinlan took €250 in cash and the driver's ring and chain as he held the knife to various parts of his body. Gardaí found Kinlan under a bridge on the Royal Canal having inflicted two stab wounds on himself.