A "Mum RIP" tattoo has led to a three-year sentence for a man who robbed two taxi drivers.
Gardaí recognised Gary Simpson (20) by his distinctive tattoo. He will serve the term consecutive to his current two-year robbery sentence, which expires in September.
Simpson, of Shangan Road, Ballymun, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to robbing the taxi drivers in Ballymun on dates in January 2007. He has 71 previous convictions.
Judge Katherine Delahunt told him: "This was a particularly nasty case involving taxi drivers going about their lawful business trying to make a living." She imposed a sentence of three years' detention, to be served on the termination of his current sentence with the final year suspended on conditions.
Garda Seán Sillery told Dominic McGinn, prosecuting, that Simpson threatened the drivers with a knife after flagging them down posing as a customer.
He got away with €170 from a 68-year-old driver and €300 from another driver.
Garda Sillery said gardaí recognised the tattoo from the drivers' descriptions and CCTV footage of the robberies. Simpson had admitted the robberies and told gardaí he wished to apologise to the taxi drivers.
Garda Sillery agreed with Grainne O'Neill, defending, that Simpson's mother had died when he was three and he had told the taxi drivers about her death while he posed as a customer.
Ms O'Neill said Simpson had a very dysfunctional upbringing following his mother's death. He had gone into the care of his aunt and ended up living rough.
Ms O'Neill said he had recently become a father but did not see his son because he had agreed with the child's mother that he should not be brought to prison.
She said Simpson had made considerable progress and asked the court to build a period of supervision by the probation services into his sentence.