A Drogheda man who took part in an armed robbery of the local rugby club in 1994 after taking ecstasy has been jailed for 5 1/2 years in consecutive sentences in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Alan Gallagher (24), of Moneymore Estate, and two other masked men stole £1,500 from, Drogheda Rugby Club on November 27th, 1994, after tying up four staff members.
Gallagher also pleaded guilty to two other robberies in 1994, involving £130 at Herlihy's Pharmacy, of Crusrod Avenue, on November 4th, and £150 at Beechgrove Filling Station, Ballymakenny, on November 17th.
He further admitted attempted robbery at the Laurence Gate Shop, Laurence Street, on February 2nd, 1995, using a knife, and stealing £60 from Gardiner's Shop in Scarlet Street on January 23rd, 1996.
Judge Joseph Mathews jailed Gallagher for three years on each of the 1994 and 1995 offences and said he had no alternative but to impose a consecutive sentence of 2 1/2 years in the case of the 1996 offence which was committed while Gallagher was on bail.
He said Gallagher could apply to have his sentence reviewed on, April 16th, 2000. His future was now in his own hands and if reports on the review date were favourable the balance of the sentences might be, suspended.
Sgt Oliver Walsh told Mr Paul Coffey, prosecuting, the three men who broke into the rugby club at 3.45 a.m. were masked and wore gloves. One carried a sawn off shotgun, another had a baseball bat and Gallagher carried a jemmy bar.
They ordered the staff to lie on the ground and forced the manager at gunpoint to bring them to the strongroom. They tied the staff's hands behind their backs and promised to ring the gardai in 30 minutes. They failed to carry out this promise.
The alarm was eventually raised by a taximan who came to bring the staff home.
Sgt Walsh said he recovered some of the clothing used by the gang to disguise themselves and, the rugby club's empty cashbox.
He arrested Gallagher on December 5th, 1994, under Section, 30 of the Offences Against the State Act. Gallagher made a statement admitting his role in the crime and said he took part in it after taking ecstasy.
A sawnoff shotgun was also used in the Beechgrove Service Station robbery. Two masked men wearing gloves drove into the garage forecourt just before closing time and grabbed the till tray.
Sgt Walsh agreed with Mr Michael O'Higgins, defending, that Gallagher was not the ringleader and did not carry the shotgun. He had a long list of previous convictions and had a serious alcohol problem.
Sgt Walsh agreed that when not abusing substances, Gallagher was polite, pleasant and deferential.
Mr O'Higgins said Sgt Walsh's evidence was very fair. Gallagher's crimes were serious and the rugby club robbery was a "quite heinous and frightening" offence which could have had much more serious consequences.
He said it was clear from the reports that Gallagher could be rehabilitated. He asked the court to take into consideration his immediate guilty pleas and suggested that a sentence including a supervisory element be considered as proposed by the Probation and Welfare Service.
Judge Mathews noted that Gallagher had a long term stable relationship with responsibilities and his partner was shortly due to, give birth. His offences carried maximum sentences of up to life imprisonment and the court had to balance compassion with the public interest.
"The matter is now entirely in your own hands. You have to earn an early release when the case comes up for review in April 2000," Judge Mathews told, Gallagher.