A convicted killer who carried out armed raids on shops while serving a suspended sentence has been jailed.
Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard Mark Bissett (33) made threats to burn down the house of a charity worker who was out on a soup run for the homeless in Dublin city centre on May 27th, 2016.
In June 2017, Judge Karen O’Connor suspended a two year sentence for this threat offence. The court heard he was at a high risk of re-offending.
Today Judge O’Connor activated that sentence and jailed Bissett on hearing that four months after she had imposed the suspended term, he carried out armed raids on two shops.
On October 15th, 2017 he held up a shop in Ranelagh, Dublin, armed with a knife and on October 26th he armed himself with a fork during a raid on a pharmacy on Dunville Avenue in Ranelagh.
Judge O’Connor said she had given Bissett a chance and she had no choice now but to impose the two year prison term which had been suspended last year.
Bissett, of Swords Road, Dublin 9, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to making a threat to Michael Maher, at Central Bank Plaza, Dame Street on May 27th, 2016, to damage his house intending him to believe it would be carried out.
The court heard he was angry that the ‘You’re Not Alone’ organisation run by Mr Maher was assisting a relative he had fallen out with. He told Mr Maher that he knew where he lived and threatened to burn down his house.
Bissett has 60 previous convictions including manslaughter, assault and public order offences. He served a six year sentence for manslaughter.
Karl Monahan BL, defending, said that Bissett never intended to carry out the threat, had no difficulties with Mr Maher and wished to apologise in the strongest possible terms.
He submitted Bissett had been intoxicated at the time but had significantly turned himself around during the last year.
Judge O’Connor told Bissett at the time that he was very lucky not to be going back to prison. She said it was deplorable and unacceptable behaviour towards a man carrying out charitable work.
She noted he was at a high risk of re-offending and ordered he be brought back before her if he got into any further trouble. She had warned him he faced two years in prison.