A drug addict warned a Brinks cash handler “don’t be a hero, I’ll fucking kill you” during a robbery at a Luas stop, a court has heard, reports Breaking News.
Gary Quinn (32) was on bail when he approached the victim as he was changing coins and notes in a ticket machine at Fatima Luas stop in south Dublin, reports Breaking News.
At a sentencing hearing on Thursday at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, Garda Mark O’Reilly told Aoife McNickle BL, prosecuting, that the robbery occurred shortly after midday on August 7th last year (2025). The victim had already replaced the coin box and was removing the note box when Quinn approached and seized it.
The victim later told gardaí that he initially believed the incident was a joke and attempted to grab the box back, reports Breaking News.
At that stage, the robber told him “don’t be a hero, I’ll f**king kill you”. The victim was unsure whether the man was armed but feared for his life.
He did not resist and Quinn, who was on a push bike throughout the incident, cycled away. Gardaí later identified Quinn from CCTV footage and arrested him several weeks later, reports Breaking News.
Quinn admitted to committing the robbery and told gardaí he was battling a severe drug addiction at the time. He apologised for his behaviour and the effect it had on the victim.
Ms McNickle told Judge Orla Crowe that the victim had not completed a victim impact report but had been “on and off” work since the incident, reports Breaking News.
Gda O’Reilly told the court that Quinn has 108 previous convictions, including four for robbery, six for drug dealing, and convictions for false imprisonment and firearm offences. He was on bail for another matter at the time of this robbery and is currently serving a four-month sentence.
Quinn, of St Theresas Gardens, Dublin, pleaded guilty last November to robbery committed on August 7th, 2025, reports Breaking News.
Luigi Rea BL, for the defence, said his client’s life had been blighted by drug addiction from a very young age. He told the court Quinn had some employment history, including work as a scaffolder.
He said all of his client’s criminal behaviour was linked to his drug addiction, reports Breaking News.
Judge Crowe said the incident must have been deeply frightening for the injured party. She noted that Quinn had apologised to gardaí for his actions and had also written a letter of apology to the court.
She imposed a custodial sentence of two and a half years, reports Breaking News.
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