A man described by a judge as a "hardened career criminal" has been jailed for four years by Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for his role in robbing €60,000 from the TSB in Henry Street, Dublin, with inside help from a cashier.
Martin Byrne (37), Cromcastle Avenue, Coolock, has already served nine years for a previous bank robbery and three years for a drugs offence. He pleaded guilty before his trial before a jury for armed robbery of the TSB in Henry Street on October 12th, 2000.
Judge Joseph Matthews said he was mindful that "an insider young woman cashier", Joanne Dicker (23), from Ardmore Drive, Beaumont, was central to the crime and had recently been jailed for nine months by Judge Elizabeth Dunne for her part in it.
The judge described Byrne as a "hardened career criminal" who had spent 12 of his 37 years in prison for two serious offences. He said that the court would have been justified in handing out a higher sentence for this latest robbery. However, in view of his guilty plea and in the hope of persuading him towards rehabilitation, he would leave the sentence at four years and would suspend the final six months.
While Byrne had to "face the music", his co-accused in the robbery was in Spain, enjoying the fruits of the crime, and could not be extradited. "It takes courage to stand before a jury of his peers and admit his guilt, as he has done, when he could have fought a trial, as his right, and perhaps got off, even on a technicality", Judge Matthews said.