An armed robber who was wrestled to the ground and held there by a shopkeeper until gardaíarrived on the scene has been jailed for 21 months.
Hai Ping Li tackled Daniel Garland (34) after he threatened him with a knife and took €170 from the till of his Spar shop on the North Circular Road, Dublin.
Mr Li hit Garland with a wooden table leg while he was in the shop and “jumped him” outside the shop after he left.
Garland had robbed another Spar shop in Drumcondra in Dublin three days earlier.
He had made off with €460 after threatening staff with a knife.
Garland, of Belvedere Road, Dublin, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to the robberies on Drumcondra Road Lower, Drumcondra, and Portland Street North, North Circular Road, on October 18th and October 22nd, 2014.
He has six previous convictions, including convictions for theft, drug offences and criminal damage.
‘Met his match’
Judge Martin Nolan said Garland had "met his match" when he robbed Mr Li, but accepted that he had cooperated with the Garda investigation and had taken "positive steps" to deal with his addiction.
The judge said that, because of the seriousness of the two robberies, he could not grant an application by Sandra Frayne BL, defending, to adjourn the case to allow Garland to continue with his rehabilitation.
Ms Frayne said her client, a father-of-one, had managed to hold down some employment over the years despite various drug addictions from a very young age.
She said Garland had since made “great strides” in dealing with his addictions and had reduced his methadone intake.
She also said that he was hoping to get residential treatment to complete his rehabilitation and that he was deeply ashamed of his behaviour.