A man has been jailed for 15 years in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for his part in having held four people hostage for up to two hours.
He was also given a 12 year sentence for the robbery of IR£7,773 from the restaurant to which one of the people he had held hostage was the proprietor. This sentence is to run concurrently to the 15 years and both were backdated to May 2000.
Derek Murphy (33), of Macroom Avenue, Coolock, was found guilty on July 24th by a jury, of detaining Ms Medina Desmond, Ms Michelle Grimes, Mr John Comer and Mrs Mary Comer at Ayrfield Drive, Coolock between October 1st and 2nd, 2000.
He was also found guilty of the robbery of IR£7,773 from Mrs Comer at Graham O’Suillivan’s restaurant in Artane Shopping Centre on the same date.
Judge Patrick McCartan said forensic evidence taken from a cigarette found at the house in Ayrfield Drive was crucial in convicting Murphy and he was sure the defendant would "rue the day" he had so casually thrown this evidence away.
He commended the hard work of the gardaí in investigating this offence, in particular Detective Garda Patrick O’Toole who was the first officer on the scene.
Judge McCartan praised his sharpness of mind in noticing the cigarette butts lying around and his speed in closing off the area to preserve the evidence.
Defence counsel, Mr John Phelan SC said Murphy had first been in trouble with the authorities when he was ten, a year after his parents separated. He has since spent 18 out of his 33 years in custody.
Detective Garda O’Toole told Mr Brendan Grehan BL, prosecuting, Murphy had 20 previous convictions, including one for manslaughter in 1993. He said this case involved the stabbing of a young man who owed IR£10.
Murphy’s co-accused, Joseph Cole (34), of Bunratty Road, Coolock was sentenced to eight years for this offence by Judge McCartan in January.