Man (38) who carried out spate of pharmacy burglaries is jailed

Isabel Hayes

A man who carried out a string of pharmacy robberies over the space of three days, on one occasion cornering several female workers with a knife, has been jailed for four and a half years.

Brian Carroll (38) went to three pharmacies in the north Dublin area armed with a knife looking for medications to feed his drug addiction, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard on Friday.

A number of victim impact statements were handed into court from Carroll's victims who described suffering from anxiety in the wake of the robberies.

Carroll, with an address at Holly Road, Donnycarney, Dublin, pleaded guilty to three counts of robbery at various locations on dates between November 1st and November 4th, 2022. He has a number of previous convictions, including for robberies and attempted robberies.

Jailing him on Friday, Judge Martin Nolan said Carroll was a long-standing drug addict who “robs and steals to feed his addiction”. “It has caused a lot of difficulties and a lot of trauma for a lot of people,” the judge said.

He noted Carroll had a long criminal history and had served jail sentences in the past. The judge said Carroll did not seem able to stop committing crimes, despite being given chances in the past. He “causes mayhem” and “deserves a long custodial sentence”, the judge said.

He handed down a five-and-a-half-year sentence and suspended the final year on a number of conditions.

In the first incident, Carroll went into O'Reilly's Pharmacy in Artane, went behind the till produced a knife and told the female cashier not to push any panic buttons. He then gave her a list of drugs to give the pharmacist before making off with the pills.

In the second incident, Detective Garda Clifford Singleton told the court that Carroll entered Lalor's pharmacy in Donnycarney and told the female worker he “didn't want any trouble” before handing her a list of drugs he required. The court heard Carroll had a knife in his bag but did not produce it on this occasion.

While leaving the pharmacy, Carroll was involved in a scuffle with a passer-by who tried to stop him from making off with the drugs, but Carroll escaped.

In the final robbery, which was described as the most serious, Carroll entered Bradley's Pharmacy in Artane, produced a knife and cornered three women who were working there. He demanded drugs from the pharmacy, and while he was taking those, some of the women managed to escape the shop and raise the alarm.

Two members of the public apprehended Carroll as he was leaving the store, and gardaí arrived a short time later. When interviewed by gardaí, Carroll made full admissions in relation to the robberies.

Defence counsel said Carroll had a long-standing drug addiction that worsened in recent years after his partner died in 2021. He has been in custody since his arrest.