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TWO MEN HAVE been jailed for their roles in an “ugly” raid that culminated in being immobilized by neighbors until Gardaí arrived.
Raymond Neeson (44) and Francis Duffy (43) were described by a security guard as “a bunch” as the couple struggled to escape from apartment residents after being caught “red-handed”.
Neeson assaulted three of the residents during the incident while Duffy tried to pass him a hammer and a fire extinguisher while they were immobilized. Items were taken from them.
Later, Neeson spat blood on a Garda car, smashed a rear view mirror, and repeatedly defecated on mattresses and blankets in the Garda station cells.
Neeson of Coultry Drive, Ballymun, Dublin pleaded guilty in Dublin Circuit Court to theft and three counts of assault causing damage to Central Park Apartments Leopardstown on March 7, 2020.
In addition, he pleaded guilty to threatening to kill or seriously injure a garda and criminally injuring a patrol car at Dundrum Garda station. He has 176 prior convictions.
Francis Duffy, of Longfield Hostel, Fitzwilliam Street Upper, Dublin, pleaded guilty to robbery on the same occasion. He has 187 prior convictions.
Judge Martin Nolan sentenced Neeson last Thursday to four and a half years in prison. He noted that Neeson had a difficult history of hardship and challenge, but said that burglary was a serious crime and that his behavior towards the gardaí was unforgivable.
He noted that Neeson has calmed down a lot and hoped something could be done during his time in prison.
Today, Judge Nolan sentenced Duffy to two and a half years in prison and noted that he had to accept that Duffy played a minor role in the crime, which he said was a “nasty” robbery.
Incident
Garda Ronan Kennedy told Garett Baker BL, prosecuting, that Neeson and Duffy had managed to enter the apartment complex by following a resident. They went to an apartment on the eighth floor where a husband and wife lived and sublet some of the floor to other Indian nationals.
The wife saw Neeson in the apartment and asked him to stop. She followed him out into the hall and grabbed her backpack. Another resident helped her hold him in the lobby, while a third resident held Duffy, who was a larger man.
Neeson grabbed hold of the woman’s hair and slammed her against the wall hard. He also tried to bite her, but she continued to stop him from leaving.
Duffy was crawling across the floor with several residents on top of him, a hammer was taken from him and passed a fire extinguisher to Neeson, but Neeson was also taken away.
Neeson struck another resident and kicked a third resident in the face while immobilizing him.
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Residents recovered all the items taken from the thieves while they were being immobilized in the lobby. Residents said the men appeared intoxicated, but did not know if they were drunk or high.
Gardaí arrived and arrested the couple. Neeson spat blood into the squad car and butted the window, leaving blood all over the inside of the car. Neeson smashed a rear view mirror on the car when he was taken to the Garda station.
Neeson defecated in a cell at the Garda station, requiring the assistance of specialized cleaners. Two days later he acted aggressively towards a garda at the station and again defecated and urinated in the cell.
Garda Kennedy agreed that Neeson’s “hideous behavior” after the arrest did not apply to Duffy.
Peter Le Vert BL, defending Neeson, said his client was a chronic drug addict with a long history of crime and homelessness. He said Neeson had been one of the first people to receive growth hormone injections in this country at age 13, but had ended up being the target of his needles by junkies who gave him money and drugs.
He said Neeson is currently doing the best he can under difficult circumstances. He said it was a crime of opportunity and Neeson hadn’t set out to go crazy.
Michael Hourican BL, defending Duffy, stated that a distinction had to be made between men and noted that his client, who also suffered from addiction problems in the past, had been charged with fewer crimes. He asked the court to take all factors into account.
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