Man jailed for 3.5 years after raiding shop three times in one week
€455 in cash and more than €2,400 worth of cigarettes and tobacco were reportedly stolen during the three raids
Print26 July 2022
A man has been jailed for three-and-a-half years, after he raided his local shop three times during a single week.
During the third raid at the Centra store on Kimmage Road Lower, staff called gardaí, and the man was still in the store when officers responded to the incident.
The man involved, Lee Swift (28), was living with his father at his home on Kimmage Road Lower in Terenure, approximately 500 yards from the Centra store.
On their arrival, Swift lunged at both gardaí, Brandon Stines and Jason O’Carroll, with a knife, forcing them to retreat. More gardaí were called to assist at the store and following a short chase, Swift was arrested soon afterwards.
He pleaded guilty to two counts of robbery and one count of attempted robbery at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court between 4 – 8 August 2021.
The Irish Times reports Lee Swift has 258 previous convictions; these are mostly for road traffic offenses but also include criminal damage and theft offences.
Garda Stephen Byrne said in court that €455 in cash and more than €2,400 worth of cigarettes and tobacco were stolen during the three raids after Swift threatened staff with a knife.
Defending Lee Swift, Sarah Connolly told the court that he had chronic drug problems, rooted in a troubled childhood and the death of his girlfriend in a car accident when she was four months pregnant with their child.
The defense attorney said that since being taken into custody in August 2021, Swift has performed well and expressed a desire for full rehabilitation.
During the sentencing, Judge Nolan said the offenses committed were relatively serious. He added that Swift has a long history of insults and has been given a number of opportunities in the past.
He imposed a five-year sentence and suspended the last 18 months of the sentence on several conditions.
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