A man with a string of previous convictions acquired in Ireland and in Britain was sentenced to prison last week for committing a robbery in Waterford city.
Damien Myles (26) with addresses at 113 Kilcohan Park, Waterford, and Beckett Street, Manchester, England, appeared before Judge Eugene O’Kelly for a sentencing hearing at Waterford Circuit Court this month. He pleaded guilty to a charge of robbery, and appeared via video link from Portlaoise Prison, where he is already serving a sentence for an unrelated matter.
Detective Garda Gary Mythen told the court that on 18 February 2026, Gardaí were alerted after a panic alarm was pressed by a staff member at the Londis store in St John’s Park, Waterford city. When they arrived at the scene, Garda members were told that a man dressed in black with his hood up had entered the store at around 9.45pm.
“No silly games”
The man, identified as the accused, walked around the shop, before picking up a bottle from a drink stand near the till, Det Garda Mythen said. He briefly spoke to the staff member, and said the words “no silly games” before brandishing a Stanley knife at him and indicating for him to open the till.
The accused took €280 in cash from the till before running out of the shop, which was never recovered. CCTV footage played to the court showed that he originally entered the shop at 9.23pm that night, and walked around for a period before leaving.
However, the footage then showed him re-entering the shop at 9.43pm, picking up a drink near the till, speaking to the staff member, and then aiming the knife towards him before leaving the scene. The accused was arrested on 24 February after a Garda recognised him in the CCTV footage, and he made full admissions to the incident, the court heard.
A victim impact statement from the staff member was read to the court by prosecuting counsel Shane O’Callaghan BL.
The young man said he worked there since December 2025, and never had an issue closing up before the incident. He described how customers in the local shop would normally say hello, but the accused just ‘stared’ at him while he was there.
He added that he was “very scared” when the accused took out the knife and was in a ‘panic’ to ring the Gardaí, his manager and parents. The young man stated that he couldn’t sleep following the incident, “lost trust” with regular customers, and asked to work mornings instead of evenings.
It was noted in court that the accused has 69 previous convictions, with seven occurring in Ireland, and the remainder in Britain. He was convicted of offences including theft and attempted robbery in Ireland, and received a two year sentence suspended for two years in November 2023, during which time he went to Britain.
Acting for the defendant, barrister Gareth Hayden BL indicated that his client was co-operative with the investigation as he initially was not at home, but returned and waited for Gardaí to come back and arrest him.
Mr. Hayden said that the accused made admissions to the incident and apologised when he was interviewed. He told Gardaí “it wasn’t my intention. I went in to buy something and my drug addiction got the better of me.”
The barrister added that the accused indicated to Gardaí that he wasn’t ‘forced’ to commit the robbery, but was ‘under pressure’ at the time from a drug debt. He put half of the money taken towards paying back the debt and spent the other half on crack cocaine, Mr. Hayden said.
Mr. Hayden asked the court to take account of his client’s “serious long-standing” drug addiction, and said he has been attending Narcotics Anonymous (NA) meetings since he has been in custody. A psychological report prepared on the accused also noted that he is a ‘vulnerable’ individual, has mental health issues, and his offending escalated after he suffered a number of family bereavements.
It was also noted that he had previous employment through the Treo project, which he stopped as he had a partner that ‘discouraged’ this.
Judge O’Kelly queried whether the accused was ‘avoiding’ the Probation service, as he was previously given a suspended sentence on the condition of engaging with them, but instead ‘absconded’ to Britain. Mr. Hayden replied that although the accused “didn’t take the chance that was offered to him” then, he is now 26 and at an age where he is ‘likely’ to mature.
The judge noted that the accused received the suspended sentence for a previous conviction of attempted robbery, and was given that opportunity as there was an indication he had “seen the error of his ways.” However, the Probation service found he was ‘disengaged’ and he then fled to Britain, Judge O’Kelly said.
The judge added that although the fact that the robbery was motivated by a drug debt and addiction, was “not much consolation” to the injured party, the accused’s background “somewhat reduces” his culpability.
Judge O’Kelly set a headline sentence of five years, which he reduced to three years and nine months in mitigation. The judge decided to suspend the final nine months for a period of 18 months, on the condition that he engages with the Probation service, and follows their recommendations with addiction counselling and employment.
After handing down the sentence, Judge O’Kelly said the accused “won’t get this chance again” after he “made a fool” of the court and Probation Service in the past.
Funded by the Court Reporting Scheme Robyn Power
