A Dublin man who stole a mobile phone belonging to the Lord Mayor was yesterday jailed for three years by Judge Cyril Kelly in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Alan Giles (20), of Barry Avenue, Finglas, pleaded guilty to breaking the window of the mayor's official car and stealing the phone on May 23rd, 1997. He also admitted taking part in the robbery of video equipment from a man in the Temple Bar area on April 26th, 1997.
Garda Brian Delaney told the court that Cllr Brendan Lynch, who was mayor at the time, was getting into the front passenger seat of the official car at Eccles Street when the window was broken by two men. The thieves grabbed the phone but were chased by Mr Lynch and his driver, Mr Tony Salmon. They caught up with the thieves at Wellington Street and following a struggle the phone was recovered.
The men got away but Giles was arrested later at a relative's house in Blanchardstown. Judge Cyril Kelly agreed to fix a review date for the case when told the defendant was off drugs. The case was now in his hands, the judge said.
He noted Giles had begun taking to so-called "recreational" drugs, hash and ecstasy, before moving on to heroin and a £300-a-day addiction. He had previously held down a good job.