Robber jailed after Paddy Power worker helped unmask him during €2,000 raid

By Fiona Ferguson

A brave Paddy Power worker helped unmask a repeat robber by pulling at his face covering during a €2,000 raid, enabling gardaí to identify him from CCTV, a court has heard.

Charles Darcy (38), who has a previous conviction for attempted murder, carried out the betting-shop robbery just five days after taking part in a knife-point carjacking in Dublin 8.

Darcy, of Johns Lane West, Dublin 8, pleaded guilty to the robbery of car keys and unauthorised taking of a car at Johns Lane West on November 17, 2025.

He entered a guilty plea in relation to production of a knife on the basis of common design.

He further pleaded guilty to robbery at Paddy Power, Bluebell, Dublin 12 on November 22, 2025.

Darcy has 64 previous convictions, including attempted murder of his brother-in-law, assault, possession of a realistic imitation firearm, possession of a firearm in suspicious circumstances, aggravated burglary, violent disorder and possession of drugs.

At a previous hearing, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard Darcy claims to have undergone a “sea change” in his life and wishes to attend drug treatment after spending much of the past 26 years in and out of custody.

Judge Jonathan Dunphy said he was not prepared to “roll the dice” by immediately releasing Darcy to attend residential treatment.

He commended Darcy’s efforts but said these were very serious offences.

“Even without words, the CCTV paints the picture,” he said, referencing the footage shown in court.

Garda Shane Monaghan told Tessa White BL, prosecuting, that the injured party in the carjacking and his father were attempting to park a rented car.

They spoke to two men, Darcy and a co-accused, and asked for directions to park and how to make a payment.

After the father and son parked and went to a pay machine, Darcy and his co-accused peered into the car and attempted to gain entry. The injured parties returned and began removing their belongings when they heard running and saw the two males they had interacted with.

Darcy, who was wearing gloves and a face covering, attempted to grab the keys, while the injured party’s father shouted for help. A knife was pulled out at this stage.

Darcy denied having the knife and claimed it was his co-accused. The garda told the court that the co-accused claimed during interview it was Darcy who had the knife and not him.

The keys were handed over, and the co-accused drove off, while Darcy ran away before being picked up. Gardai reviewed CCTV footage and recognised Darcy.

He was arrested and interviewed in February 2026, but nothing of evidential value emerged.

The father and son did not make victim impact statements, but at the time the younger man described himself as being fearful that they could have been seriously harmed and feeling traumatised.

Gda Monaghan also gave evidence in relation to the second robbery five days later.

The court heard that a young woman was working alone at the time of the robbery, with her colleague on a break. There were a few customers on the premises, but it was not busy.

She was on the phone at the counter behind a plastic partition when she saw gloved hands coming through the screen. This was Darcy, wearing a hood and a “coronavirus mask”.

Another unidentified male with Darcy was holding a customer at knife point, while Darcy gained entry to the area behind the counter and the safe.

On the CCTV footage, the young woman is seen attempting to repel Darcy and throwing items at him and his co-accused. She pulls at his hood and facemask several times and succeeds in partially removing it. At one point, Darcy holds up a chair but does not throw it at her.

Approximately €2,000 was taken from the cash register. Darcy was identified from the footage.

The young woman was distressed when gardai arrived and had not returned to work at the time of making her statement. She did not make a victim impact statement.

Darcy was subsequently arrested in the foyer of the Criminal Courts of Justice where he was attending court in relation to other matters. The stolen rental car was recovered some months later by gardai.

The garda agreed with Keith Spencer BL, defending, that Darcy had encountered resilient individuals in both cases and that it was through the bravery of the bookie’s employee that Darcy had become unmasked and identified on CCTV.

The garda agreed he was aware of Darcy’s “recent sobriety” and his pledge to change his life.

Mr Spencer said Darcy has a significant poly-substance addiction problem, and these crimes were committed to get money to fuel that addiction.

He said he has a difficult history and has been in and out of custody since he was a young man.

He said Darcy’s life has been punctuated by brief periods at liberty and the rest in custody. He said he is unable to stay sober on release and returns to prison.

Mr Spencer said Darcy has had a recent awakening, with the help of his sister, who is committed to helping put him on the right track.

He said his sister has seen a change in him that she had never seen before.

He submitted that this is the first time Darcy has attempted to take the steps of attending counselling and availing of supports.

He said Darcy has decided to walk a different path and wants to attend residential drug treatment. He has been attending courses in prison with a view to gaining employment on release.

He handed in letters from family members to the court. He said Darcy has pledged to a different way of life, but the truth will only be apparent on release, and it remains to be seen if he can stay out of prison. He said therapeutic supports will have to be put in place.

Counsel asked the court to take into account his client’s early guilty plea and take the view he has made big strides in remaining drug-free.

Passing sentence, Judge Dunphy said the aggravating factors in the robbery of the bookmakers were the seriousness of the charge and the presence of a staff member, that this was a joint enterprise, and that his co-accused held a customer at knife point.

The judge also noted the relevant previous convictions. Judge Dunphy sentenced him to three years and nine months for the robbery.

Regarding the robbery of the car key, the judge outlined the following aggravating factors: the presence of two victims, the use of a knife during the robbery, and Darcy’s relevant previous convictions.

He sentenced Darcy to three years and nine months.

Judge Dunphy said that both sentences were to run consecutively, giving a total global sentence of seven and a half years.

The judge said he must also consider the following mitigating factors: the early guilty pleas, and that Darcy is engaging well in custody and is on an enhanced regime.

The judge also noted that there are clean urines before the court and that Darcy is engaging well with Merchants Quay Ireland while in custody.

Judge Dunphy suspended the final 18 months of the sentence for the Paddy Powers robbery and the final three years of the car key robbery.

He backdated the sentence to when Darcy went into custody on these matters.

The judge placed Darcy under the supervision of the Probation Services for two years and directed that, upon release from custody, Darcy must enter a residential drug treatment centre.

He is to continue to engage with Merchant Quay and remain drug-free.