7 years prison sentence for armed robber who carried out crime spree

By Isabel Hayes

A man who carried out a spate of robberies while armed with a knife and an imitation revolver has been jailed for seven years.

Christopher Dunne (39) with an address at The Charter, Santry Cross, Dublin, was arrested by armed gardaí in October 2022 after they received a confidential tip-off as to his whereabouts, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard on Tuesday.

He has 102 previous convictions, including for robbery and attempted robbery.

He pleaded guilty to four counts of robbery from three different stores in locations around Dublin between July and October 2022. A number of other counts, including attempted robbery, were taken into account.

The court heard that in July 2022, Dunne committed a spate of robberies, including robbing two tills containing €720 in cash from Applegreen and €400 in cash from a Eurospar in Ballymun while armed with a knife. He also robbed €540 in cash from a Spar on Dorset Street Lower.

Dunne was arrested and released on bail. He failed to show up for a District Court appearance in October 2022 and it was around this time that he robbed a Tesco Express in Bolton Street while armed with a “very realistic” imitation revolver, Detective Garda Eoin Morrison told John Gallagher BL, prosecuting.

During this robbery, Dunne ordered the security guard to kneel on the floor and ordered the cashier to hand over the cash. He made off with €2,000.

The following week, he attempted to rob a Gala shop while again armed with the fake firearm, but the shop owner sprayed him with insect repellant and he fled the scene.

Following a tip-off, the Garda Armed Support Unit went to the Santry address, where they found Dunne hiding in a bathroom. They broke the door down when he refused to come out. He has been in custody ever since.

Carol Doherty BL, defending, said Dunne has a longstanding drug addiction that has escalated over the years and culminated in a cycle of offending to pay for his habit. She said he has limited cognitive function and has expressed a wish to become drug-free.

Sentencing Dunne, Judge Martin Nolan said Dunne’s offending included the use of a knife and a very realistic imitation firearm. He noted Dunne has expressed a wish to reform. “It would be good for him and for society if he did so,” he said.

He handed down a sentence of seven years, which he backdated to when Dunne first went into custody.