A robber who raided a bookmakers armed with a toy handgun in order to pay off a debt has been remanded on bail pending sentence.
Larry Higgins (45) , a father of five, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to robbery and attempted robbery at William Hill Bookmakers on Parkgate Street on November 2nd, 2007. His 40 previous convictions included robbery and larceny.
Higgins, of O’Devaney Gardens, North Circular Road, told gardaí that he had been “taken in a van” some weeks previously and been given two weeks to hand over €500.
He went into the bookmakers with the plastic gun and told staff he would blow their heads off if they didn’t hand over the cash from the till. The manager refused and walked away, but a female staff member handed over €495.
Higgins said he had gone straight to Artane after the robbery and handed the proceeds of the raid over to a man. He was identified through CCTV footage and was arrested three days later.
Judge Katherine Delahunt adjourned the case to October and ordered an updated probation report for that date.