Six years for man who admitted €60k robbery

A man with an address in Bettystown was jailed for six years at Trim Circuit Court for a violent attack on a Co Meath shopkeeper during which €60,000 worth of jewellery and other goods were robbed seven years ago.

The court heard that none of the items were ever recovered and the victim felt his business had been stripped from him.

Christian Razvan Florea (29) of The Anchorage Bettystown pleaded guilty to a charge of robbery on 19th Nov 2014 at Emmet St Trim.

Sgt Robbie Butler told prosecuting counsel Carl Hanahoe BL that an accomplice entered the shop and on the pretext of wanting to see items in a display cabinet distracted the owner before the defendant entered armed with a metal bat which he used to knock the elderly victim unconscious after the other robber had dragged him to the ground.

The two put tape over the victim's mouth and he was tied to a chair while they robbed the shop before escaping in a vehicle which was later found burned out.

The alarm was raised by a woman who saw the pair leaving the shop and she went to the assistance of the owner whom she described as terrified and with injuries to his face including a broken nose.

The getaway vehicle was subsequently tied to an address linked to the defendant who was identified from CCTV of the incident which was shown in court and he was arrested in January 2015.

An examination of his mobile phone showed it had been active in Trim on both the day of the robbery and the day before while a third party had seen him walking up and down Emmet St on the day before.

The court heard a European arrest warrant was issued for the defendant who consented to return from his native Romania to Ireland in 2019.

The prosecutor read an impact statement in which the victim said he had been gripped with fear as he could have been left bound and gagged all night which could have been life threatening as he was an insulin dependent diabetic.

He said since the robbery he was living in constant anxiety and fear and constantly reliving the experience.

'My business was stripped from me. I know I'll never recover', he concluded.

A defence barrister said his client who had been on bail since 2019 worked in a car wash and handed in testimonials on his behalf from his employer and fellow employees.

Judge Martina Baxter commended the victim for his bravery and his very powerful and articulate impact statement.

The judge described the CCTV as very disturbing and said the case highlighted the vulnerability of those working on their own in a shop.

Judge Baxter identified as aggravating the level of gratuitous violence used, the lateness of the defendant's guilty plea and noted the fact that none of the stolen goods had been recovered.

The judge imposed a sentence of seven years with the final 12 months suspended.