Judge jails robber who told victim he could have bike back 'for a tenner or a fag'

Gordon Deegan

A judge has jailed a bicycle robber who told his victim that he could have his €100 mountain bike back “for a tenner or a fag”.

At Ennis Circuit Court, Judge Francis Comerford imposed a two-year two-month prison sentence with the final four months suspended on Declan Sherlock (30) of no fixed abode in Ennis for the broad daylight robbery of the bicycle.

Mr Sherlock pleaded guilty to the robbery of a mountain bike from Prince Shonibare on August 12th 2025, at Turnpike Road, Ennis.

Mr Sherlock - high on a cocktail of crack, prescribed methadone and alcohol - was armed with a bottle and threatened violence on the owner of the bicycle, Prince Shonibare, but did not use violence.

Prince Shonibare was not physically hurt during the five-minute incident during which Mr Sherlock told him he could have the bike back if he gave him “a tenner or a fag”.

Judge Comerford said that it was a serious offence as Mr Sherlock had used an improvised weapon and threatened violence on Mr Shonibare for over five minutes.

The bicycle was not recovered.

Judge Comerford said that Mr Sherlock’s offence “was spur of the moment" and if he had just got away with the bicycle it would not have been a serious offence “and it became serious when he offered violence”.

Judge Comerford said that it wasn’t at the lower end of robbery offending.

Counsel for Mr Sherlock, Amy Nix BL said that Mr Sherlock - who has 137 previous convictions - has completed a Crime Awareness course while in prison.

Ms Nix said that now “is make or break” for Mr Sherlock.

Ms Nix said that while on remand in Limerick prison awaiting sentence for the robbery of a €100 mountain bicycle, Mr Sherlock has completed a Crime Awareness course which, she said, “has given him insight into the impact his actions have had on the victims of crime and he has taken a lot of positive learnings from that”.

Ms Nix said that her client’s life has been blighted by chronic addiction.

She said that Mr Sherlock is “very ashamed” of his actions on the day and wasn’t able to remember the incident as he was intoxicated at the time.

Ms Nix said that Mr Sherlock “has had six long months in Limerick prison to reflect on the events of that day”.

Ms Nix said that Mr Sherlock’s mother, Tina died during a routine operation to remove an appendix when he was just 13.

Ms Nix said that Mr Sherlock was one of 14 siblings and in the aftermath of his mother’s death “he turned to cannabis and tablets to relieve grief and his life took a wrong turn”.

Ms Nix said that Mr Sherlock - now a father of four - started taking heroin at the age of 18.

Ms Nix said that Mr Sherlock lost an older sister Charlene at the age of 29 in 2020 “and she was like a second mother to him”.

Ms Nix said that due to bad decisions Mr Sherlock had made around that time, he was in custody at the time and wasn’t able to attend Charlene’s funeral mass.

She said that Mr Sherlock also lost a brother, Jimmy in tragic circumstances in 2013.

Ms Nix said that Mr Sherlock has used his time in custody productively and along with completing the Crime Awareness court he intends to start a Red Cross course in the next couple of weeks