Courts / Dublin / Report

Four-year sentence for man who threatened to kill taxi driver while armed with syringe

Summary

In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing on 29 August 2015, 20‑year‑old Carl McGuinness pleaded guilty to making threats to kill a taxi driver and to possession of a syringe. McGuinness, who had 49 prior convictions, was found to have a blood‑filled syringe in his hand when he opened the passenger door of a taxi and threatened the driver twice. The driver, who had stopped to allow pedestrians to cross, was left terrified and called 999. A bystander later identified McGuinness to the Gardaí. McGuinness was searched and admitted to having an uncapped syringe, which was recovered from his tracksuit. The victim's impact report noted the driver was out of work for three weeks. Judge Melanie Greally sentenced McGuinness to four years' imprisonment, suspending the last 12 months, and imposed strict conditions including engagement with the Probation Service for two years upon release.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Four-year sentence for man who threatened to kill taxi driver while armed with syringe. Charges or matters: making threats to kill and possession of a syringe on Townsend Street, on August 29, 2015. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

• August 29, 2015 Incident
• 2016-01-26 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Sentence Taxi Trouble

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Read the original CNI report