A man armed with a bicycle saddle who robbed a Dublin pharmacy where a 70-year-old woman was working has been jailed for two-and-a-half years.

Ross Hutch (27), of Portland Place, Dublin 1 pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to robbing €200 from Boles Pharmacy in Drumcondra, on April 12, last. He has 73 previous convictions, including convictions for possession of firearms, endangerment and theft.

Passing sentence today, Judge Martin Nolan said the Hutchs had used this pharmacy and the injured party knew the family well.

Detective Garda Kevin Bambrick told Fiona McGowan BL, prosecuting, that Hutch entered the pharmacy after noon on the day in question, when four staff members were working there.

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Employee Catherine Raymond (70) was serving a customer at the till, when she saw a man who she now knew to be Hutch run into the shop. He was wearing an orange jacket with a scarf covering his face and was carrying a seat belonging to a bicycle saddle.

Hutch shouted at Ms Raymond to give him the money on two occasions but she went to run away. A customer tried to protect Ms Raymond by pushing her up against a window as Hutch took cash from the till, the court heard. Following this, staff members left the shop through a side entrance and activated the alarm.

The same customer then disarmed Hutch of the bicycle saddle and he left the shop. The defendant was seen cycling off in the direction of Clonliffe Road.

Ms Raymond was “shaken up” by the incident but not physically injured, the court heard.

Hutch was stopped by gardaí on his bike, which displayed a distinctive crest, at Distillery Road but was no longer wearing the orange jacket or grey tracksuit bottoms.

Det Gda Bambrick agreed that gardai later recovered the robber’s orange jacket and tracksuit bottoms, which employees had described him wearing in the shop. Hutch was arrested that night in his home with €200 in cash.

A DNA sample was then taken from Hutch, which matched a DNA profile taken from his orange jacket, said Ms McGowan.

In a victim impact statement, Ms Raymond said she struggled to sleep at night since the robbery, the court heard.

Gda Bambrick agreed with Emmet Nolan BL, defending, that the robbery was confined to threats of violence and no one had been attacked by the defendant. The court also heard that a significant event had occurred in 2016 which led to a devastating loss of life including the defendant’s father, cusin and friend. As a result, Hutch relapsed into a cocaine addiction, said Gda Bambrick.

In mitigation, the defence barrister told Judge Nolan that a well publicised event had occurred in a Dublin hotel in 2016 and there had been threats on the defendant’s life so he went to seek treatment in the UK for his drug addiction.

The barrister said his client was deeply remorseful, ashamed and embarrassed for his behaviour. A letter of apology written by Hutch was handed into the court which expressed his regret and hope that Ms Raymond makes a full recovery.

A psychological report outlined that the father-of-two was intoxicated at the time of the robbery and had became addicted to drugs at 14 years of age.

The court heard that Hutch has been in custody in Wheatfield Prison since his arrest in April, which is hard for him as he is on 23-hour lockup.

Handing down sentence, Judge Nolan noted that Ms Raymond was extremely frightened by what had happened and was disappointed that Hutch had robbed her.

The defendant had entered an early plea, expressed true remorse, has a difficult family history and it is tough for him to serve time in prison, said the judge.

He sentenced Hutch to two-and-a-half years in prison and backdated the sentence to April 12, 2019, when he first went into custody.

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