Former champion dog handler jailed over knifepoint muggings

A man who previously won best dog handler at Crufts has been jailed for carrying out three knifepoint muggings in north Co Dublin.

Michael Geoghegan (36) also threatened to stab a garda who chased him down after the incidents in Swords.

Geoghegan, of Ormond View, Swords Manor, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to three counts of robbery and production of a knife at Rathbeale Road, Swords on August 18th, 2019.

He also admitted to producing a large kitchen knife to intimidate and producing an iron drill bit and knife while resisting arrest. The court heard Det Sergeant Alan Flaherty eventually disarmed him using his baton.

Judge Patricia Ryan on Friday sentenced Geoghegan to four years imprisonment, but suspended the final year on strict conditions including that he follow all directions of the Probation Service for six months after his release.

At a previous sentencing hearing, Annette Kealy BL, defending, told the court that Geoghegan had some talent with animals and that in his youth had won an award at Crufts for best dog handler.

Relapses

She said Geoghegan started using drugs in his early teens and was addicted to heroin at 16. He was attempting to deal with his drug problems but had relapsed a number of times, she said. She said Geoghegan had stayed off drugs since these robberies.

The court heard that after his arrest, gardaí­ believed he was medically unfit to be interviewed. He later told investigators that he could not remember anything about the offending, but admitted it was him on the CCTV footage from the area.

Det Garda Warren O’Sullivan told the court that Geoghegan carried out the robberies on three random women at around 9am.

The first victim, who worked as a care assistant, was walking to a house for a care visit when Geoghegan came up behind her and put his arm around her neck. He demanded she give him “paper not coins” and she saw the blade of a knife in his hand and gave him some cash.

Det Garda O’Sullivan told Ms Kealy he accepted that her client was genuinely sorry for these offences.

Geoghegan has one previous conviction for robbery with an imitation firearm committed in 2005. He has 52 previous convictions in total, including for theft and drug offences.

The court heard Geoghegan had handed over €2,500 as a practical gesture of remorse which was to be divided among the victims of the muggings.