A WESTMEATH man who stabbed and robbed a pizza delivery man in Limerick has been jailed for four years.
Ciaran Heffernan (26), of Dalton Drive, Mullingar, was arrested after a high speed chase in the delivery car he stole from the delivery man.
He admitted stealing two pizzas and unlawfully taking a vehicle on May 17, 2013.
At Limerick Circuit Court last week, he was described as the ring leader of a group of four who had been drinking at a house in Cathedral Place when they decided to ring for pizzas.
Judge Tom O’Donnell said it was clear that the intention was to take the food from the delivery man and “do a runner, but matters unfolded somewhat differently”.
Heffernan’s co-accused Kathleen O’Sullivan phoned for pizzas and told the delivery man to call her back when he was outside the house.
When he called, he was confronted by Heffernan and his companions Kieran Coughlan, (24) and William Dundon (39) from Haymarket in Cathedral Place.
Heffernan produced a knife and the delivery man was stabbed in the shoulder before he escaped from the car. Gardaí were alerted after a taxi driver picked him up in a distressed state and bleeding from the stab wound.
Heffernan was charged along with the four others and while the cases against his co-accused went ahead last year, his trial did not proceed as he failed to turn up at court.
Although unknown to Gardaí in Limerick, he had serious issues with drug and alcohol addictions and his lawyers, Anthony Sammon SC and Erin O’Hagan BL, said he had measures in place, post release, to attend Coolmine’s residential treatment centre and asked Judge O’Donnell to consider that in his sentence.
Judge O’Donnell said that while the appropriate sentence was four years in prison, he would suspend the final 12 months and backdate the term to when Heffernan first went in to custody 13 months ago.
A five year driving ban was also imposed for unlawfully taking the car.
