A drug addict who threatened staff in a Dublin shop with a bloody syringe during a robbery has received a six year sentence.
Karl Valentine (38), of Carrigmount Drive, Rathfarnham, Dublin 16, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to robbing €509 cash from the Centra on Ballinteer Road, Dublin on October 25th, 2008.
The court had been told Valentine (38) covered his face with a scarf, entered Centra holding a syringe and told staff: “Give me the money, I want all of it. I have the virus and I’ve nothing to lose.”
Gardai traced the robbery to Valentine through CCTV and DNA testing after he left blood on the shop’s counter.
Detective Sergeant Eugene Stapleton said one of the employees had accidentally put his hand in the blood, causing him huge concern.
Valentine has 48 previous convictions dating back to 1987, including a six year sentence for firearms possession in 1994 and four years for robbery in 2005.
Judge Katherine Delahunt noted Valentine’s recent efforts to address his addiction which she accepted was “the root cause of his offending.”
She sentenced him to six years, with two years suspended. She also backdated the sentence to when he entered custody in March 2009.