Brendan Devine, who was left for dead in January outside the Belfast city-centre bar in which his friend Robert McCartney had been murdered, was jailed yesterday for seven years for robbery along with two others.
Belfast Crown Court Judge Derick Rodgers told the three that as robbers they were "playing for high stakes and must accept appropriate sentence when they are caught".
Although Devine (31), Mayfield Village, Glengormley, William Francis Evans (24), Albert Street, Belfast, and John O'Connor (33), Torrens Avenue, Belfast, were each jailed for seven years, two years of their sentences will be served on probation.
The three, who carried out the raid to fund their drug habits, were virtually caught red-handed robbing a Cash-Co security van delivery to Finaghy post office in south Belfast on February 24th last year.
Devine, who had rugby tackled a security guard delivering the cash, was caught by police a short distance away after throwing the cashbox over his shoulder while being chased on foot.
Evans, who was the driver of the getaway car, and O'Connor, his front seat passenger, were arrested in nearby Locksley Parade after abandoning their stolen Mazda.
The court heard that Devine, who suffered "extensive and life-threatening injuries" when knifed outside Magennis' bar in January, had since made a full recovery physically, but mentally was suffering from post-traumatic anxiety disorder.
Defence QC Frank O'Donaghue, for Devine, said the father of two had run up "significant and uncontrollable debts" because of his serious abuse of drugs. In order to fund his lifestyle and business, Devine, who was spending up to £1,000 a week on his habit, agreed to get involved "out of desperation", and had "succumbed to the temptation of immediate profit".
However, the lawyer claimed that despite Devine's involvement in the robbery, "his offending seems to have been totally out of character".
Mr O'Donaghue said that while out on bail, Devine's "situation was changed very significantly by events which occurred recently, the circumstances of which are clearly in the public domain".
He was the "victim of a quite serious attack" in which "unfortunately his colleague who was with him was not so fortunate".