A young man has been jailed for his role in the robbery of two mobile phones from a group of teenage boys on a Dart.
Cian Jones (22) was described in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court as the “ringleader” of four young men who were involved in the robbery of mobile phones from four teenage boys on a northbound Dart between Dún Laoghaire and Tara Street stations.
The other three males have not yet been identified.
Jones, of O'Farrell House, Cumberland Street North, Dublin 1, pleaded guilty to two counts of robbery and two of attempted robbery on June 20th, 2022.
Imposing the sentence on Monday, Judge Dara Hayes said the four teenagers had the “extraordinary misfortune to meet Jones and his acquaintances” while making their way home from Dún Laoghaire.
He described the offending as “serious” and said the victims were “entitled to travel on the Dart without being set upon”.
The court heard that the four teenage victims were on their way home and were each sitting by a window when a group of four males, including Jones, entered the carriage.
This group walked past the teenage boys, then turned back and sat beside them, effectively blocking the victims in.
The investigating garda said the victims described Jones as the “ringleader”. He demanded to see their phones, threatening to hurt them unless they handed over their devices. Jones also made threats to stab them and reached into his trousers, though no knife was produced.
Three iPhones and a Samsung A52 were handed over, but a blue iPhone along with the Samsung were returned to their owners.
One of the boys handed his iPhone 12 to one of the individuals with Jones, while an iPhone 11 was also taken.
Jones swapped seats with one of his group and demanded that the owners of two iPhones carry out a factory reset on their phones.
He became aggressive when one of the teenagers could not remember his iCloud password.
Jones also demanded cash from the teenagers, but they did not have any, the court heard.
He made further threats and told the boys not to make a report to gardaí.
After Jones got off the Dart, the boys remained on board until Connolly Station, where they contacted their parents.
Fear
One of the boys whose iPhone was stolen prepared a victim impact statement. He said he saved up for several months to buy the phone and is now nervous about using public transport.
He said he has not been to Dún Laoghaire since this incident, and his parents are concerned if he has to use public transport.
Jones was identified from CCTV. He has a number of previous conviction, including three for robbery, and is currently serving a sentence for another matter.
The investigating garda agreed with Justin McQuade BL, defending, that Jones's earliest release date for his current sentence is next October.
It was further accepted that Jones had a difficult upbringing, is doing well in custody, and was co-operative with gardaí.
The court heard Jones spent time in State care and has experienced homelessness since he reached his 18th birthday.
Jones told the court he is serving a sentence in Wheatfield Prison, where he is doing his Leaving Certificate and completing a Gaisce award. He has also undertaken several courses while in custody.
The court heard the accused left school at 14 and has ADHD. He said his parents had addiction issues and he is close to his grandmother, who is in poor health.
Credible threat
Mr McQuade asked the court to take into consideration his client's early guilty plea and personal circumstances when imposing sentence.
A psychological report and a recent probation report were handed into court.
Judge Dara Hayes noted while it is not clear if Jones had a knife, the threats were “severe” and “credible” enough for the teenagers to hand over their phones, though two of the devices were “not of sufficient quality to rob” and were handed back.
He said the aggravating factors include the young age of the victims, the threats made and Jones's previous convictions.
Judge Hayes noted the mitigating features include his early guilty plea, his personal circumstances and the steps taken towards rehabilitation.
He handed Jones a four and half year sentence backdated to December 12th. He suspended the final 18 months on strict conditions, including that Jones place himself under the supervision of the Probation Service.
Addressing Jones directly, Judge Hayes said the court hoped he would take advantage of the supports that are available to him and that he continues on the path towards rehabilitation.
“The court wishes you a very happy, law-abiding life,” he added.
