A man who ended up crashing through a shop window when he tried to mug a US military policeman using a roll of tin foil has being jailed.

Brian Kavanagh (33) was on a cocktail of drugs when he attacked Christian Escobar, who was on holidays in Dublin.

Kavanagh came up behind Mr Escobar and tried to pull his backpack off him. The soldier believed Kavanagh was armed with a silver bar but this later turned out to be a roll of tin foil.

Mr Escobar held onto the bag and during a scuffle the two men crashed through the window of a ….read more

A Danish man caught with over €66,000 worth of cocaine in his luggage claimed he had been transferring inheritance documents for a woman he met on Facebook, a court has heard.

Jorgen Sorensen (65), who was jailed for 18 months, told gardaí and customs officers that he had never inspected the luggage and believed it had contained these documents.

He said he had been given the bag in São Paulo, Brazil by people purporting to be lawyers working for a woman who told him she was due €220 million inheritance from her dead parents.

Judge Melanie Greally said Sorensen showed a “huge level ….read more

A father-of-one who cultivated cannabis plants and extracted medicinal oil for himself and his son has received a fully suspended sentence.

Derek White (41) of Colthurst Gardens, Huntington Glen, Lucan, Dublin, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to unlawful possession of cannabis at his home on July 11, 2016.

Judge Cormac Quinn sentenced White to two years imprisonment, but suspended the entirety of the sentence on condition that he keep the peace and be of good behaviour for a period of two years.

Garda David Sheehy told Fiona McGowan BL, prosecuting, that on the date in question White was stopped while driving ….read more

(Pictured: Lawrence Doyle. Credit: Collins)

A taxi driver who bit off a portion of a man’s ear in “a vicious and violent assault” must complete 180 hours of community service within 12 months in lieu of a prison term.

Lawrence Doyle (51) was introduced to injured party Christopher Darcy by the barman in a Dublin city centre pub where they both had been drinking, although the victim had recognised Doyle.

Garda Fergus Grant told Maddie Grant BL, prosecuting, that a short time later an altercation broke out between the two men and words were exchanged before Doyle jumped on Mr Darcy and gave ….read more

A young Dublin man who caused pedestrians to run for cover when he sped through a village while evading gardaí has had his sentence adjourned for one year.

Sergeant Stephen Byrne revealed that members of the public ran for cover as the car driven by Dean Craig (21) hit a speed ramp and elevated into the air along the busy village main street.

The sergeant told Diana Stuart BL, prosecuting, that he had responded to a call about burglaries in a nearby housing estate and spotted Craig and two other males in a car.

Craig then led gardaí on a high speed chase ….read more

A man has being jailed for four and a half years for bringing nearly €200,000 worth of heroin through Dublin Airport.

Bayo Olanrewaju (48) was carrying most of the drugs in pellets which he had swallowed. He told gardaí that he was to meet somebody in Dublin and would be brought to a hotel where he would “pass” the drugs.

He said that he had agreed to transport the drugs because he needed to go to Mozambique for his grandmother’s funeral and did not have enough money to pay for the trip. He went to people who had previously loaned him money ….read more

A raider who pointed a BB gun at the head of a taxi driver later claimed to gardaí that it was a “practical joke” and the driver had overreacted, a court has heard.

During the attempted robbery, Frank Rowan managed to overpower Paul Evans (36) and take the firearm off the raider. Evans repeatedly ran at Mr Rowan and demanded the gun back until the driver struck him on the head with the gun.

Evans continued to run at the victim and a passerby stopped and called gardaí. Evans told the victim he would wait for the gardaí and would “do him ….read more

A mugger who was caught hiding in bushes by gardai using thermal imaging from a helicopter has being ordered to do community service.

During a robbery by Folarin Odunlami (22) and an accomplice, one of the muggers pulled a long steak knife and told the victim to empty his pockets.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that the terrified victim feared he would be stabbed. As he was taking things out of his pockets, the second man got involved.

The muggers took the victim’s phone and wallet containing €110 in cash and told him to run down the lane or they would cut and ….read more

A man who accosted and robbed two women several weeks apart threatened to stab one of them with a needle, a court has heard.

Damien Reilly (36), with an address at Camden Street, Dublin, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to two robberies in Stoneybatter, Dublin, on February 24, 2017 and April 7, 2017.

Garda Sinead Murphy told Tony McGillicuddy BL, prosecuting, that on the date in April a nurse had just entered her PIN into an ATM when Reilly grabbed a hold of her.

Reilly said “Don’t fucking move, don’t fucking scream, I have a needle in my hand” and he ….read more

A shop raider who armed himself with a piece of wood was later identified by gardaí by the pink gloves he was wearing whilst damaging a parking meter.

Scott Grant (31) held the piece of timber while threatening staff in a Costcutters shop on Hampton Street in Balbriggan, north Dublin and demanded money. He ran away when the shop manager Eugene Brown confronted him with a wooden sweeping brush during the raid on December 11, 2016.

Later that month Grant was spotted damaging a parking meter to get coins from it to feed his drug habit. A witness told gardaí he ….read more