A UCD student who robbed a car park attendant as part of an "initiation ceremony" for a criminal gang has had his sentence adjourned to December 16th next.
Former car park employee Stephen Fallon wore a balaclava when he approached Mr Mohammed Iftikhar from behind and hit him on the head with a hammer. He then forced him to hand over ú57.
After he left the Temple Bar car park, Fallon threw the money away because he did not want it. The crime had been part of an initiation ceremony for a gang of "vicious and violent" criminals he had fallen in with, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court was told.
Fallon was identified from a security camera video at the car park. He did not put his mask on until he got inside the building, even though he knew about the camera and he was filmed when he keyed in the code to open the door.
A detective said Mr Iftikhar was left bleeding from a head wound, which needed seven stitches. He has since recovered physically but is too fearful to return to work.
Fallon (22), of Shandon Drive, Dublin 7, pleaded guilty to robbing Mr Iftikhar on July 23rd, 1995.
Defense counsel Mr Patrick Marrinan said his client was a fourth year agricultural science student at UCD. He left home and fell in with the criminals, who told him to carry out the robbery or be beaten up Fallon had paid £1,000 compensation to his victim.
The President of the Circuit Court, Mr Justice Spain, adjourned sentence to see how Fallon would behave when he was told the Garda favoured a non custodial disposal of the case.