Pizza outlet robber moved to Mayo to escape "negative influences", court hears

A man who pleaded guilty to robbing an Apache Pizza outlet in Tallaght in September 2015 appeared before Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Craig Dempsey, aged 25, admitted the robbery of the restaurant in Oldbawn Shopping Centre, where €2,535 was taken. He also pleaded guilty to a separate robbery of a Spar store in Ballycullen in July 2015, during which he produced a broken bottle. Gardaí recovered his DNA from a blood-stained till and clothing found at the scene. The court heard Dempsey had relocated from Dublin to Mayo to distance himself from negative influences and had engaged with local boxing and community activities. His defence counsel cited a significant drug debt as the motivation for the offences and referenced personal trauma. Judge Melanie Greally expressed concern about his non-engagement with probation services previously but offered one final opportunity for him to comply with such services in Mayo. Sentencing has been adjourned to April 2017.