Man jailed for six and a half years for robbing shop with hammer

By Fiona Ferguson

A member of the Hutch famil, who suffers from PTSD after witnessing his cousin being shot, has been jailed for a robbery in which he was armed with a hammer at a Dublin Dealz store.

Sammy Hutch (50) was jailed for six and a half years.

He was convicted of the robbery following a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court trial last October, in which he maintained he was not the person on the CCTV. He was apprehended after DNA matches to a balaclava and gloves, which were found by gardai.

The court heard that the “elephant in the room” might be Hutch’s surname, but that he was not involved in gangland feuds or organised crime.

Hutch, of Cardiffsbridge Avenue, Finglas, was convicted by a jury last year of the robbery at Dealz, Rathfarnham Shopping Centre, on October 1, 2023. He has 102 previous convictions, including 39 burglaries, two robberies and nine theft offences.

He has been in custody since June 2024.

Passing sentence, Judge Elma Sheahan noted that the victim in the case suffered psychologically in the wake of the robbery, during which she was threatened with a hammer.

She noted Hutch does not accept the verdict of the jury and has not expressed any remorse accordingly. She set a headline sentence of seven and a half years, which she reduced to six and a half years taking mitigating factors into account. She backdated the sentence to June 2024.

Detective Garda Kelly Cooke told John Moher BL, prosecuting, that a staff member was working behind the till counter in Dealz when two men entered wearing helmets and carrying hammers.

Hutch’s accomplice jumped the counter and the staff member ran onto the shop floor. Hutch then held her by the wrist while armed with the hammer. She managed to kick him and run to a wash room where she called the gardai. The incident lasted ten minutes.

Customers and other staff members witnessed the men exiting the shop and making their getaway on a motorbike.

Gda Cooke told the court that after the tills were cashed up, a total of €700 was missing. The damage to the tills was estimated at €1,776.

Gardai later recovered the motorbike at the Phoenix Park. They also seized a helmet matching the one seen on CCTV with gloves inside it and a balaclava on the ground. DNA with a match to Hutch was found inside the balaclava and gloves.

Gardai applied for a search warrant for Hutch’s accommodation and found distinctive Adidas tracksuit bottoms and Yeezy runners with an orange stripe.

Hutch denied involvement in the offence. He said he had sold the motor bike helmet and may have had a broken ankle at the time.

In a victim impact statement, the staff member told the court she had been left feeling unsafe and unable to sleep. She said it had been the most traumatic experience of her life and she was deeply shaken. She suffers nightmares and avoids going out alone.

She changed her employment after the incident and has not returned to the shop. The offence caused her uncertainty about the future and financial stress.

Gda Cooke agreed with Kevin Roche BL, defending, that while there was a hammer present, no actual physical violence took place. She agreed the other man has not been apprehended.

The garda agreed with counsel that Hutch was co-operative and gave gardai no trouble.

Mr Roche told the court that the “elephant in the room” may or may not be the accused man’s surname. He said his client was not involved in any gangland feuds, although he shares a surname “synonymous with that well-publicised set of circumstances”.

He asked the court to look at his client’s previous convictions, such as burglaries and thefts, which he submitted had more in common with a person addicted to drugs than a person involved in organised crime.

He said his client’s name makes his time in prison difficult as he is categorised as high risk.

Counsel said Hutch has a number of health issues and suffers PTSD from witnessing the shooting of a cousin in his presence. He handed in letters including from Hutch’s sister. She outlined that he helps his mother when not in custody. He said Hutch had a supportive family and his sister was in court.

Mr Roche outlined Hutch had no convictions between 2018 and the beginning of 2023, which indicated a certain level of stability during that time.

He said Hutch had begun using heroin as a 15-year-old and had been addicted for a long time. He said the seismic event in his client’s life had been when he was a passenger in a car and his cousin was shot in front of him.

He said Hutch had no children but assisted his family with their own. He also assists younger members of a horse and pony club, showing them how to feed and groom their animals.