By Sonya McLean
A man who wore a child’s Halloween mask when he tried to rob a convenience store has been given a suspended sentence after the court heard he is “a completely changed man”.
Bryan Butler (42) of Wyatville Park, Loughlinstown, Dublin, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to attempted robbery at Centra on Johnstown Road, Cabinteely, on March 29, 2024.
His 27 previous convictions include offences for intimidation of witnesses, threats, assault, drug and public order offences.
Sergeant Marvin Ireland told Kate Egan BL prosecuting, that there was an eight year old and an 11-year-old girl in the shop when Butler came in wearing a children’s clown mask and demanded cash.
He told staff “give me €200 and I will leave”. Staff raised the alarm, the manager came into the shop from back offices and Bulter left.
He was followed by the manager who called gardaí and later pointed Butler out to them.
Sgt Ireland said as the shop manager followed Butler he turned to face him.
He had the mask on top of his head and the manager could see his face.
Butler made a gun gesture with his hand and pointed at the shop manager who then crossed to the other side of the street.
Gardaí arrived and although Butler initially resisted arrest they managed to put handcuffs on him.
They found an axe hidden in the waist band of his trousers.
He continually made threats to both the gardaí and the manager.
Sgt Ireland agreed with Brian Gageby BL defending that while people would have been in fear at the time of the raid, Butler was not violent during it.
He accepted that Butler was intoxicated at the time and was also homeless.
It was acknowledged that he carried out the raid in an attempt to get money for drugs.
Mr Gageby said his client had spent 15 months in custody on remand before he was granted bail to attend residential treatment.
He had started to address his addiction while in prison.
Counsel said Butler was motivated to address his addiction.
He completed the residential programme and is now attending a day clinic and been giving supervised urine tests to his GP.
He had written a letter of apology to the court.
Judge Orla Crowe said a victim impact statement, which was not read out in court, gave a vivid account of the upset caused by such raids.
She said it does not just impact the staff and owner of such premises but also local people as customers whose sense of safety in their local community is affected.
She said Butler has since undergone “extensive rehabilitation” and said there was much documentation in court to support this.
She noted one testimonial which indicated that Butler was “a completely changed man” and “could not be doing better in recovery”.
Judge Crowe imposed a sentence of three years and six months.
She suspended it in full on condition that Butler not come to any further garda attention and remain drug free.