A heroin addict who committed a series of syringe robberies within two months of early release from a 7 1/2-year sentence is now to serve 12 years in jail.
Francis McGrane was jailed for 6 1/2 years by Judge Elizabeth Dunne at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for the new offences. She also reactivated the suspended 5 1/2-year balance of his original sentence.
Garda Mary Grainger told Ms Pauline Walley, prosecuting, that McGrane threatened to kill an 88-year-old woman who ran the Kingsbridge Guesthouse on Parkgate Street, near Heuston Station.
Ms Kathleen Hitchcock, who collapsed following the incident, has since suffered from depression and has been left seriously traumatised. Garda Grainger said the woman was terrified and had to sell the guesthouse she had run for 36 years.
McGrane (30), of Blackhorse Grove, Dublin, admitted carrying out a robbery at another guesthouse on Charleville Street in which he subjected another elderly owner to a 15-minute ordeal. He also robbed a disabled vet of money. The court heard the victim suffered from sight and hearing deficiencies.
McGrane, who has 15 previous convictions, pleaded guilty to three new counts of robbery and one of attempted robbery between February 16th and March 3rd last year.
He was jailed for 7 1/2 years in December 1997 by Mr Justice Cyril Kelly on nine counts of larceny. He was released in December 1999 under certain terms and bound to keep the peace for 10 years.