Court dismisses serial robber’s bid to reduce sentence

A man who "put the fear of God into people" with imitation firearms has failed to have his sentence for robbery and possession of a firearm reduced by the Court of Appeal.

Keith Meehan (36), with a last address at Monksfield Walk, Clondalkin, Dublin 22, was sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment, with the final three suspended, by Judge Martin Nolan in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on June 14th, 2012.

Meehan had pleaded guilty to five counts of robbery, one count of attempted robbery and six counts of possessing an imitation firearm on dates between 2010 and 2011. He has 61 previous convictions, 16 of which were for robbery, the court heard.

Mr Justice George Birmingham said Meehan had a bad record and had committed the first of five robberies "soon after his release" from prison on an earlier sentence. They were "very serious offences", committed with imitation firearms, which "put the fear of God into people".

The judge said the sentence imposed on him by Judge Martin Nolan was not excessive and indeed a higher sentence would not have been interfered with by the Court of Appeal.

It seemed to the court, Mr Justice Birmingham said, that Judge Nolan balanced the facts of the case in an appropriate fashion and there was no basis for an interference.

Meehan was returned to prison to serve out the remainder of his 10-year sentence.

The court heard Meehan and an accomplice had entered a service station, an off-licence, a shop, a bookmakers and two pharmacies with imitation firearms.

In June 2010, Meehan had entered a pharmacy in Dublin with a submachine gun designed to discharge plastic bullets and stole 700 tablets and a sum of cash.

He made off with €900 from a service station in Knocklyon, having entered the shop with an imitation firearm in a plastic bag.

In August 2010 he entered a premises with his hand in his pocket to give the impression he had a weapon. He made off with cigarettes and €600 in cash, the court heard.

In April 2011, Meehan attempted to rob a pharmacy. However, the owner pressed the emergency button and alerted gardaí.

Counsel for Meehan, Carol Doherty BL, had submitted her client’s early guilty plea had saved the State “three different trials with a total of 53 witnesses”.

Mr Meehan received a sentence of 10 years, Ms Doherty said, in cases where nobody had been injured and he had not caused any real harm.

The court, consisting of Mr Justice Birmingham, Mr Justice Seán Ryan and Mr Justice Garrett Sheehan, heard Meehan had a very serious drug addiction when he committed the offences.