A man who acted as a look-out during a syringe-point robbery was jailed for seven years yesterday. Darren Kelly (21), of Belclare Park, Poppintree, pleaded guilty to robbery at the Sillogue Road petrol station in Ballymun, Dublin, on April 11th, 1996.
Judge Kieran O'Connor was told that Kelly's co-defendant, Jason Flynn, had threatened a female assistant in the garage with the syringe. Flynn (25), of Harelawn Drive, Clondalkin, has already been jailed.
Judge O'Connor fixed December 1st, 1998 for the review of Kelly's sentence, saying his guilty plea was the only thing in his favour.
He would consider releasing him at the review hearing if he had proved his desire to tackle his drug addiction by then.
"You can give your mother a great Christmas present in 1998 if you do as you are told in custody," the judge added. Garda Malachy Dunne told Mr Desmond Zaidan, prosecuting, that he and his colleague were in a car facing the service station when they saw two youths running from it. A short time later they received a radio message that the station's panic alarm had been activated.
Garda Dunne said he went to a flat he had seen the youths enter. Kelly and Flynn admitted their roles in the raid.
Mr Gerry O'Brien, defending, pointed out that Kelly pleaded guilty, had only two previous convictions and was trying to deal with his addiction. He had a very decent mother, counsel added.