An award-winning poet and playwright who went on a destructive rampage of drink and drugs after his partner aborted their child has been jailed for five years for a series of robberies.
Anthony Kavanagh (41), St Mary's Place, Dublin, learned to write while in prison as a teenager, reformed himself and went to the US. Working as a doorman in the office block housing the Irish Voice newspaper, he became a literary success with plays staged in New York.
Kavanagh was also awarded the James Stewart Parker prize for poetry and was nominated in the US as one of the top 100 Irish writers, Mr Erwan Mill Arden SC, defending, told Judge Elizabeth Dunne at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Mr Mill Arden (with Mr Michael Bowman) said Kavanagh returned to Ireland in 1995 with a his partner. His career continued successfully with his work being produced at the Gaeity Theatre, until he learned from his partner who left him for another man in 1998 that she had aborted their child.
"That drove a pyramid into his system and drove him back on drink and drugs to such an extent that he wasn't making money any more and led to the robberies," said Mr Mill Arden.
Kavanagh accepted he had to be punished and wasn't trying to hide behind his previous exalted position, but he knew he needed intense treatment and was a man who could restore his life. He apologised to his victims and had a wish to play a useful role in society in the future.
He pleaded guilty to a series of robberies and attempted robberies from January to May, 2000, in Dublin, including a UNICEF shop, a pharmacy, the Walton Hotel, a post office and the a pub. He had 10 convictions from 1976 to 1983 for burglary, larceny, robbery and malicious damage.
Judge Dunne imposed concurrent and consecutive sentences totalling five years and suspended the final 4 1/2 months to allow for time already spent in custody. She noted he was still abusing cannabis and cocaine in prison but was otherwise well behaved there.
She said his crimes had had a terrible effect on some of his victims, one of whom went back to live in Co Wexford and commuted to Dublin for work, thus adding three extra hours travel daily to her schedule.