Dublin People
  • Contact Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Place a Classifieds Ad
  • Place a Memorial Ad
  • Place a Planning Ad
Toggle Menu
  • News
    • Southside
    • Northside East
    • Northside West
  • Sport
  • Lifestyle
    • Fashion & Beauty
    • Health
    • Motoring
    • Travel
    • Arts & Culture
    • House & Home
  • Community
    • Crime & Courts
  • Business
    • Education
    • Jobs
  • Digital edition
    • Northside People East edition
    • Northside West edition
    • Southside People edition
  • Competitions
  • Video
  • Contact Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Place a Classifieds Ad
  • Place a Memorial Ad
  • Place a Planning Ad

Man jailed for three years for buying cars later used in arson attack

Gary Ibbotson 25 Feb 2022

By Brion Hoban

A man who purchased two vehicles that were then used in an arson attack on the house of “a person of some notoriety” has been given a three year sentence with the final 18 months suspended.

Joseph Richards (30) later told gardaí he had not been aware the cars would be used for arson, saying he had not asked what they would be used for and that he just wanted the money for purchasing them.

Richards of Lanesborough Square, Finglas, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to two counts of money laundering within the state on dates between August 6, 2020, and August 12, 2020.

He has 83 previous convictions, including convictions for robbery, possession of drugs for sale or supply, production of an article in the course of a dispute and road traffic offences.

Passing sentence today, Judge Melanie Greally said he was a cog in an enterprise which was engineered by much more sinister forces.

She said although he was essentially an “errand person” the role he played was important and done for financial gain, albeit small.

The judge said it appears that when he abstains from drugs he is capable of living a prosocial life and is doing well in prison.

She noted the root of his offending lay in his drug addiction and his need to finance it, but he was highly motivated to overcome it.

Judge Greally sentenced Richards to three years with the final 18 months suspended on strict conditions.

Detective Garda Chris O’Sullivan told Rónán Prendergast BL, prosecuting, that there was a larger investigation into an arson incident on August 12, 2020, on a property in possession of the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB).

Advertisement

Det Gda O’Sullivan said that through analysis of mobile phones and CCTV footage, gardaí were able to identify Richards as being a suspect who had purchased two cars used during the arson.

In interview with gardaí, Richards maintained he did not think the cars would be used for arson, telling gardaí he bought the cars and “you hardly think I bought the cars and did it myself”.

Det Gda O’Sullivan agreed with Pieter Le Vert BL, defending, that prior to the house being seized by CAB, it belonged to “a person of some notoriety”.

He agreed that one of the cars purchased by his client was driven into the house and set alight.

The detective agreed with counsel that his client told gardaí he had been instructed to purchase the cars and falsely register them.

He agreed Richards told gardaí he did not ask what they were for and that he just wanted the money.

Mr Le Vert said his client previously had a job in an engineering company, but in 2018 he lost both his mother and grandmother which had a profound effect on him. He said his client went back to using drugs, including crack cocaine and heroin.

Counsel said his client lost his job, lost contact with his children and became involved in this matter and other matters.

He said his client is now entirely drug free in custody.

  • Crime & Courts

Post navigation

>
<

Related News

Over 400 submissions made to date on citizen’s assembly on drug use

Gary Ibbotson • 06 Jun 23

TUH raises 25th anniversary flag

Padraig Conlon • 06 Jun 23

Free higher education courses available to Dublin people

Padraig Conlon • 06 Jun 23
  • FOLLOW
    DUBLIN PEOPLE
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Trending Now

  • New 500-seat theatre being considered for Dublin City Centre
  • Refurbished Garda Monument of Remembrance to commemorate Garda personnel who died in service
  • Horror at monster plans for Sallynoggin development
  • ‘Minister, where is the emergency funding that was promised?’


Dublin People Group
Dublin People Northside East
Dublin People Northside West
Dublin People Southside

The Dublin People Group is the largest local newspaper in Dublin, with three popular weekly titles serving the city: Northside People East, Northside People West & Southside People. Each of our titles are compact and available every Monday. Our publications are distributed throughout Dublin’s suburbs to homes, pick-up points and businesses.

DPG Publications Ltd
Unit 3 Robinhood Industrial Estate Dublin 22 Ireland.
Publisher of the following newspaper titles. The Northside People East, The Northside People West & The Southside People Newspapers

  • FOLLOW
    DUBLIN PEOPLE
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Phone: 01-8621611
Advertising: sales@dublinpeople.com
News: news@dublinpeople.com
Planning: planning@dublinpeople.com

  • Contact Us
  • Cookie policy (EU)
  • Privacy statement (EU)
  • Disclaimer
  • Return,Refund and Cancellation policy
  • Advertising and Pricing Policy
Copyright © 2021 Dublin People
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT
Manage Cookie Consent
We use cookies to optimize our website and our service.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}
Go to mobile version