The eldest brother of convicted killers Charlotte and Linda Mulhall has been jailed for robbing two shops at knifepoint.
James Mulhall (35) of Ardmore Walk, Tallaght told gardaí he carried out the raids because he was desperate for money for his own two children and for Linda's four children whom he took on after she was jailed for 15 years for the manslaughter of Farah Swaleh Noor.
His other sister, Charlotte, is serving life for murdering Mr Noor.
Mulhall pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to robbery of €1,450 and €620 in cash from the shops in Fortunestown Lane and Belgard Square West, both in Tallaght, on February 14th and 18th, 2007. He has eight previous convictions.
Garda Pauline Glennon told the court that Mulhall held a knife to a cashier in the second crime as she was giving a customer change from the till. He threatened her he would kill her if she moved and ran towards the door after grabbing the cash from the register.
When the employee pressed the panic alarm and trapped him inside, Mulhall kicked at the door and shouted he would kill somebody if they didn't let him out before he managed to force it open and make his escape.
Eoin Hardiman, defending, told Judge Delahunt that his client's father committed suicide in recent years and both his sisters were serving "a long sentence".
He said Mulhall had robbed the two shops "purely out of a financial need and because he was desperate for money". His social welfare had recently been cancelled and he was responsible for six children at the time.
Judge Katherine Delahunt jailed Mulhall for four years. She said the crimes were committed "in rapid succession over a couple of days" and that the use of the knife to threaten the staff had left Mulhall's victims "very traumatised".
She accepted he was in financial difficulties at the time but added that although this would serve as an explanation for his motivation behind the crimes, it could not be accepted as an excuse. "Any person with very significant social problems does not just go out and rob stores," Judge Delahunt said.
Mulhall was jailed for five years in April by Mr Justice Paul Carney at the Central Criminal Court for his role in robbing two prostitutes in Dublin apartments.