Masked man attempted to hijack taxi at knifepoint in Louth appears for sentencing
Aaron Reilly (23), living at the time at The Crescent, Tredagh View, Drogheda, pleaded guilty to a charge of producing a knife during the incident which occurred close to his then home on September 30, 2020.
He used his mother's phone to notify the taxi driver and after he ran off having failed to get the victim to hand over his vehicle, Gardaí who arrived on the scene saw him looking out a window of his house.
It was stated that the defendant was a 'Jekyll and Hyde character' who had a drug and alcohol addiction and required residential treatment.
Det Gda Kelly Finnegan gave evidence that the taxi driver received a notification to attend an address at Beechwood Avenue, Drogheda at 7am.
When he drove into Rowan Heights, Marley's Lane, he saw a masked man approach on the driver's side. This person opened the door and produced a knife, saying, 'I need your taxi. Get out of the taxi'.
The victim refused and offered his attacker money. Mr Reilly said, 'It's insured. You can just give me the keys'.
He held the knife against the driver's chest. The driver said 'no' and got out of the Toyota Prius which had a camera system. His assailant made threats to kill him.
The taxi man kept the keys in his pocket and made it clear he was not willing to hand over his car. The defendant ran off.
Det Gda Finnegan continued that a large black handled knife was found in grass and Mr Reilly was seen looking out the kitchen window of his house.
During the course of an investigation which ultimately led to the accused, it was discovered that his mother recognised the knife as similar to one from a knife block in her kitchen.
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DNA recovered from the handle of a bread knife with a sharp edge was linked to the accused, who had used his mother's phone to book the taxi.
He was arrested and interviewed on August 5, 2022.
There were 29 previous convictions, including one for possession of a knife and two for assault.
In a Victim Impact Statement the man said he had been working as a taxi driver for five years at the time.
The incident had a severe impact on him. He now tried to avoid Marley's Lane and working at night. This affected his earnings. He had a big family to support.
He couldn't sleep and would wake up in fear and as a result be tired all day.
Cross-examined by barrister Donough McDonough, instructed by solicitor Paul Moore, Det Gda Finnegan agreed that the defendant was a Jekyll and Hyde character who was in the throes of an addiction to cocaine and alcohol.
He did this 'when out of his head'.
His mother who was present at the hearing had given him a lot of chances before throwing him out of the house.
Mr McDonough added that Aaron Reilly had little memory of what occurred. He regretted his actions and had instructed to apologise.
He was currently out of the house and 'couch surfing' between family and friends. His mother continued to support him. He had no father in his life.
The defendant did a Junior Cert equivalent and obtained a Safe Pass.
He needed to address his addiction issues. Drug use had escalated after the death of a friend. He accepted that he required residential care.
The Probation Service assessed him at high risk of reoffending in the next 12 months and noted he was motivated to address risk factors.
The defendant had done four weeks of a 10-week course and Judge Dara Hayes gave him an opportunity to complete it, adjourning sentence to July 30.
He said the matter will require some degree of custodial sentence.
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