A man who was shot outside a Navan supermarket following a burglary and was later caught in possession of heroin has been jailed for seven years.
Edward Tobin was shot as he was getting into a getaway car on February 24th, 1997 outside the Centra Supermarket. Garda Kevin Swann told prosecuting counsel Mr Hugo Hynes at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court he had no details as to who shot Tobin. No property was taken from the shop.
Tobin (23), Whitechapel Lawn, Blanchardstown, pleaded guilty to three charges of burglary, causing criminal damage to the door of the supermarket, and the possession of heroin for supply on dates during 1997. He has 12 previous convictions.
Garda Swann said Tobin was caught on June 24th, 1997 with 18 deals of heroin valued at £400, which he had stored in his parents' house for the purposes of supply.
He said Tobin was effectively selling heroin to fund his own drug addiction.
Judge O'Connor said the defendant was a troubled young man but he was not going to deal with him as harshly as he deserved. He sentenced him to seven years for committing the burglary and three years for criminal damage. He also imposed a seven-year jail sentence for the drug charges. All sentences are to run concurrently and a review date was set for November 15th next.