A mother-of-six who tried to rob a woman’s handbag and threatened to bite her as she was cycling home with her grocery shopping has been jailed for one year.
Michelle O’Leary (33) said she had been “clattered” by her then boyfriend and put under pressure to carry out the offence.
O’Leary, of St Patrick’s Court, Phibsborough, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to attempted robbery at Clare Hall Avenue, Dublin 17 on February 6th, 2016. She has 39 previous convictions.
Judge Karen O’Connor previously adjourned sentencing to see if there was a bed available in residential drug treatment but on on Monday the court heard there was no bed available.
Judge O’Connor handed down a three-year sentence but suspended the last two years on a number of conditions. She accepted O’Leary had a serious drug addiction, had made efforts to reduce her methadone intake while in custody and was remorseful for her actions that day.
The court rose briefly after a female supporter of O’Leary shouted abuse at the judge.
Handlebar
Garda Jason Flynn previously told Maurice Coffey BL, prosecuting, that the victim, a woman in her early 50s, was cycling home with her grocery shopping on one handlebar and her bag on the other. She described a girl running towards her and making a grab at her handbag.
O’Leary grabbed the bag but the victim would not let go. The woman ended up on the ground with O’Leary standing over her. O’Leary then said: “Let go or I will bite you.”
Passers-by came to the woman’s aid and a bus driver pulled O’Leary away. She was held at the scene until gardaí arrived.
The injured party, who did not complete a victim impact statement, said at the time that she got a “massive fright” and did not think anyone would come to her aid but she was grateful they did.
O’Leary was arrested and initially gave a false name to gardaí but later made full admissions. She said she had been pressured into committing the offence.
She told gardaí she had been in a car with her then boyfriend who had “clattered” her in the face and picked out the woman as a target. She said she was “deeply sorry” and that any money taken was going to be handed over to the man.
Brian Storan BL, defending, said O’Leary had been a heroin addict but was addressing the issue and had reduced her methadone use significantly.
He said O’Leary had a difficult background and was currently having a hard time in custody. He said she had expressed remorse and was making significant progress in relation to her drug use.