Two men have been sentenced to four years imprisonment for their part in a robbery where a betting-office owner had a blood-filled syringe held to his throat.
A “vicious and violent attack”, involving two men against one, issuing “frightful threats” is how Judge Anthony Kennedy described the incident at Faye’s Bookmakers in Athlone last June.
Darren Greene of 52 St Anne’s Terrace, Athlone and Thomas Costigan of no fixed abode, but originally from Clondalkin, pleaded guilty to the offence involving the theft of €1,400 in cash and €197 in cheques.
Sgt Cormac Moylan of Athlone Garda Station told Mullingar Circuit Court that Thomas Costigan who has Hepatitis C was seen on CCTV holding the syringe, full of his own blood at the throat of David Gilligan when he, and an accomplice, raided Faye’s Betting Office in Athlone.
He was intoxicated at the time, possibly on a combination of alcohol and heroin and was homeless, using a squat described by Judge Kennedy as a junkie’s “opium den”.
Mr Costigan apologised to the victim whom he agreed was obviously very frightened and couldn’t have known that he didn’t intend to injure him.
“I’m sorry for what I done, that man that owns the shop, the person that I robbed. I wouldn’t like it done to me,” he said in direct evidence. The 31-year-old has been taking heroin since he was 17 when his mother died and his father became ill.
Mr Gerard Groarke said his client had of nervous disposition and not up to giving evidence from the witness box but wished to apologise to the court, Gardaí and Mr Gilligan for what he went through.
He said it was apparent his client had a “Jekyll and Hyde” personality, very different when at liberty to when he was apprehended.
Mr Greene wielded a spoon disguised to look like a blade and told Mr Gilligan that if he moved, he’d cut him from ear to ear.
His client had been at the top of a list for drug treatment but when the doctor in charge left and was not replaced, “the prospect of any treatment was taken out from under him”. He had started using drugs at 12, heroin at 16.
Judge Kennedy said both men had made an immediate, full, and detailed plea but the evidence against them had been very strong, planning was minimal, they wore no disguises, were well known to the owner, and were caught on CCTV.
He described how both men had been junkies since their teens but were facing up to their addictions. “Rehabilitation is in hand and the prognosis for both is somewhat optimistic,” he said.
He suspended the last year of the sentences and directed that the men be kept under Probation Office supervision to continue to address their addiction issues.
