Woman with 165 convictions jailed for robbing the same shop twice
By Eimear Dodd
A woman with 165 previous convictions has been jailed for three years and six months for robbing the same shop twice within one month.
Megan Gaffey (28) of Marlborough Street, Dublin 1 pleaded guilty to two counts of robbery on May 22nd and June 13th, 2024 at a shop on the quays in Dublin City Centre.
Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard she has 165 previous convictions, including 109 for theft, one for assault causing harm, three for assault and two drugs offences.
The investigating garda told Marc Murphy BL, prosecuting, that Gaffey asked for change from the till.
The shop manager said that Gaffey initially appeared friendly. When she opened the till, Gaffey reached into it and the shop manager tried to push her back.
During the struggle, the till was damaged, and Gaffey took €100 before leaving the shop.
Three weeks later, Gaffey returned to the same shop. She threatened another worker by pointing a pair of scissors at her ribs, demanding she open the till, then took €420.
Gaffey was identified from CCTV. When interviewed, she made admissions and expressed remorse.
The court was told that Gaffey has been in custody since July 2025 and has been serving a sentence, for which her earliest release date is next April.
No victim impact statements were provided to the court, which heard that both employees have since left the shop. Gaffey was on bail and serving a suspended sentence at the time, the court was told.
The garda agreed with Aidan McCarthy BL, defending, that Gaffey was a drug addict and homeless at the time.
Mr McCarthy told the court that Gaffey is originally from Westmeath. Her father is in prison in the UK, and her mother died when she was 10.
Gaffey spent most of her childhood in care and has experienced homelessness and drug addiction since leaving foster care at 18.
She has three children, one of whom passed away as an infant. The father of her deceased child later died of a drug overdose.
While in custody, Gaffey has been working to address her addiction and has completed several courses, Mr McCarthy said.
Judge Orla Crowe said the use of a pair of scissors in the second robbery and Gaffey's past convictions were aggravating.
She said the robberies must have been very frightening for the staff. She noted that people working in shops who are not necessarily earning a lot of money “have to put up with being at risk of these sorts of onslaughts”.
The judge said these were Gaffey's first convictions for robbery and represent an “escalation” of her offending.
Judge Crowe said addiction had “overwhelmed” Gaffey's life and her potential, resulting in others being victims.
She noted Gaffey's expressions of remorse and her efforts while in custody. She imposed a sentence of four years and six months backdated to November last, when Gaffey pleaded guilty.
Judge Crowe said she would suspend the final 12 months of the sentence and placed Gaffey under probation supervision for one year.
The judge said the Probation Services could assist Gaffey with accessing drug treatment and accommodation and support her re-entry into society following her release.
