Garda convicted of attempted armed robbery.

GalwayKiefer

"A garda with a chronic drink problem who lost his job after attempting to rob a shop with an imitation firearm has been given a three-year suspended jail term."

Link to article:
http://www.rte.ie/news/2011/0304/boersmam.html

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Article for those on mobile boards:

A garda with a chronic drink problem who lost his job after attempting to rob a shop with an imitation firearm has been given a three-year suspended jail term.
Mario Boersma, 39, had pleaded guilty to an attempted robbery of Kilmoney Stores in Carrigaline and possession of an imitation firearm on March 27th 2010.
Today at Cork Circuit Criminal Court, Detective Sergeant David Treacy told how Boersma went into the shop wearing a hoodie and a woollen hat pulled down like a balaclava and armed with a gun.
Boersma demanded money from a female member of staff and at first she thought it was a joke but when he again demanded money, she ducked behind the counter and closed the till.
Boersma fled on foot but the woman contacted both the gardaí and the owner of the store, Brian Hurley, who spotted a man emerging from some bushes 300m from the shop.
Mr Hurley lost sight of the man at Fernlea in Carrigaline but he identified the man to gardaí a short time when he spotted him walking at Fernlea with a woman and gardaí arrested him.
Gardaí had already recovered a holdall with a woollen hat and hoodie top from the bushes where the man had been seen and he later told them that he had also hidden the gun there.
Det Sgt Treacy told how when gardaí went back and searched the bushes again as Boersma had told them, they found the handgun which turned out to be an imitation firearm.
Boersma made immediate admissions and fully co-operated with gardaí and apologised for his actions and the upset and trauma he had caused the shop assistant, he said.
Boersma, with an address at Rosebay Drive, Forest Hill, Carrigaline, was a serving member of the gardaí based in Celbridge, Co Kildare, but was absent without leave for five months.
Det Sgt Treacy said Boersma had had a chronic alcohol problem for years and although he attended a treatment centre in Bruree, Co Limerick, before Christmas, he was unfortunately drinking again.
The court heard a victim impact statement from the shop assistant who said that she did not bear Boersma any ill-feeling and hoped he would get help for his alcoholism.
The woman said that she felt sorry for Boersma - who is separated - and said she did not believe that sending him to prison was the answer.

Det Sgt Treacy agreed with defence barrister, Donal O'Sullivan, BL, that the robbery was an act of desperation and Boersma had now lost everything including his job in the gardaí.
The court heard that Boersma's home had been repossessed and he was on the verge of having his car repossessed, said Mr O'Sullivan who pleaded for leniency for his client.
He pointed out that he had pleaded guilty at the first available opportunity and was genuinely remorseful while Boersma as a former garda would find prison life difficult.
Judge Con Murphy accepted Boersma's early plea and he accepted that as a former garda going to prison, he could find himself in situations with people he may have prosecuted.
He said Boersma was 'little more than a child' in his approach to the robbery and he noted that he had co-operated fully with gardaí and assisted them in their investigation.
He said that taking everything into account, he believed the appropriate sentence was three years but he suspended it on condition Boersma keep the peace and be of good behaviour.
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I'm not interested in his problems, in the same way I'm never interested in the problems of convicted criminals (drink and drunks/broken home/bla bla bla) in so far as sentencing is concerned. A member of An Garda Síochána (at the time anyway) has been convicted of attempted armed robbery with an imitation firearm and walks with a three year suspended sentence. I realise what prison would be like for him if he wasn't put in protective custody and that he co-operated once caught but what message does this send out to people? One law for us and one for them?

I doubt I would have walked from the courthouse with a suspended sentence. Am I alone in my cynicism?

orourkeda

I thought he'd be an assistant commissioner by now

Senna

Opened this thread thinking, please dont let it be another Donegal guard story

seanybiker

nice one for posting the thing for us mobile users. First time I noticed someone doing that. I'm welling up now .


Poor Mario. Guess his life went down the drain

newmug

Its disgusting. He should have been done for armed robbery, 10 years min. He was even on the news peddling his sob story. If the new govt are going to change things and be as anti-corruption biased as they said they would be before the election, then this fella should be behind bars.

Yakult

Loved the sob story when I saw it on the news, cringe worthy.

Cool_CM

That shop is tiny and literally sells milk, bread, papers and cigarettes to the people who live in the park around it. No wonder she thought it was a joke when somebody came in looking to rob the place

karlog

Sure it was the drink that made him do it. Alcohol should get 10 years minimum for that.

Oranage2

Irish courts are like an X-Factor audition - The sadder the story the less likely you'll do time

for example -

Free legal aid -Johno has 34 previous convictions but has finally beat his drug problem for the last week and thinks going to prison will set back his progress

Judge - Well Johno you're finally getting you act together so no punishment but this will be your last chance!!!

chicken fingers

aww he was little more than a child was he?
Imitation handgun and spare set of clothes stashed in a bag show premeditation and planning. Just because he is stupid doesnt mean he shouldnt be locked up for a few years. Same as any other criminal.
Oh, wait, he might have trouble from other criminals because he is an ex-garda?
Lots of criminals have co-operated with gardai in the past and still ended up in prison.
The modus operandi is to stick them in solitary or move them to a different location if there is a threat against them. With an ex-gardai it seems you just get off.

jimmycrackcorm

Well, it will make for an interesting theme for new games on the Nintendo DS.

MagicSean

Same sentence anyone would have gotten. First conviction, guilty plea, substance abuse problem, remorseful. The fact that he was a Garda is probably why the judge didn't just give him probation.

GalwayKiefer

k_mac wrote: »

Same sentence anyone would have gotten. First conviction, guilty plea, substance abuse problem, remorseful. The fact that he was a Garda is probably why the judge didn't just give him probation.

That'd be true in an assault case but this was an attempted armed robbery.

MagicSean

GalKiefer wrote: »

That'd be true in an assault case but this was an attempted armed robbery.

I've seen it before. Attempted robbery with a starter pistol. Probation and a good behaviour bond.

Bosco boy

I think he should have been sacraficed in the name of everyone who ever got a speeding ticket and feels disgruntled towards the guards, they want their pound of flesh regardless. There was a bin man up last week for the same thing and he also got a suspended sentence, i was livid cause the fcukers didnt empty my bin last week! Theres no justice in this country!

pragmatic1

k_mac wrote: »

I've seen it before. Attempted robbery with a starter pistol. Probation and a good behaviour bond.

I agree. I actually know a lad who was done for armed robbery with a real shotgun. He was then done for small time dealing when he was waiting for trial on the first charge. He got off on probation, I kid you not.

MardiB

Don't be so harsh, he was found guilty alright but the sentence was suspended. He is an alcoholic who lost his house, his marriage, his career and now has a prison record. He is not exactly living the dream....

letsbehonest

He is only human.
The man clearly has problems and we here know nothing about him or what he has being through in his life. He went down the wrong path and now he has lost his job and his reputation.

xoxyx

I'd like to think that his suspended sentence was given on the condition that he attends treatment for his alcoholism and, even better, presents himself on a weekly basis for tests to ensure he isn't drinking.

I feel for him as I believe alcoholism is half disease. However, I also believe it's half indulgence (and I know what I'm talking about here). Fair enough - it's hard for him to have this compulsion to drink, but it was hard on the shop assistant that he held up. If he doesn't stop drinking then this situation could occur again, but next time, somebody could get hurt.

In deciding his sentence, his personal circumstances should be taken into account, but so should the risk he poses to society.

bonerm

jimmycrackcorm wrote: »

Well, it will make for an interesting theme for new games on the Nintendo DS.

Super' Mario Muggers.

MagicMarker

So he's not a Garda then?

irish pavee

GalKiefer wrote: »

"A garda with a chronic drink problem who lost his job after attempting to rob a shop with an imitation firearm has been given a three-year suspended jail term."

Link to article:
http://www.rte.ie/news/2011/0304/boersmam.html

_________________________________________________________________
Article for those on mobile boards:

A garda with a chronic drink problem who lost his job after attempting to rob a shop with an imitation firearm has been given a three-year suspended jail term.
Mario Boersma, 39, had pleaded guilty to an attempted robbery of Kilmoney Stores in Carrigaline and possession of an imitation firearm on March 27th 2010.
Today at Cork Circuit Criminal Court, Detective Sergeant David Treacy told how Boersma went into the shop wearing a hoodie and a woollen hat pulled down like a balaclava and armed with a gun.
Boersma demanded money from a female member of staff and at first she thought it was a joke but when he again demanded money, she ducked behind the counter and closed the till.
Boersma fled on foot but the woman contacted both the gardaí and the owner of the store, Brian Hurley, who spotted a man emerging from some bushes 300m from the shop.
Mr Hurley lost sight of the man at Fernlea in Carrigaline but he identified the man to gardaí a short time when he spotted him walking at Fernlea with a woman and gardaí arrested him.
Gardaí had already recovered a holdall with a woollen hat and hoodie top from the bushes where the man had been seen and he later told them that he had also hidden the gun there.
Det Sgt Treacy told how when gardaí went back and searched the bushes again as Boersma had told them, they found the handgun which turned out to be an imitation firearm.
Boersma made immediate admissions and fully co-operated with gardaí and apologised for his actions and the upset and trauma he had caused the shop assistant, he said.
Boersma, with an address at Rosebay Drive, Forest Hill, Carrigaline, was a serving member of the gardaí based in Celbridge, Co Kildare, but was absent without leave for five months.
Det Sgt Treacy said Boersma had had a chronic alcohol problem for years and although he attended a treatment centre in Bruree, Co Limerick, before Christmas, he was unfortunately drinking again.
The court heard a victim impact statement from the shop assistant who said that she did not bear Boersma any ill-feeling and hoped he would get help for his alcoholism.
The woman said that she felt sorry for Boersma - who is separated - and said she did not believe that sending him to prison was the answer.

Det Sgt Treacy agreed with defence barrister, Donal O'Sullivan, BL, that the robbery was an act of desperation and Boersma had now lost everything including his job in the gardaí.
The court heard that Boersma's home had been repossessed and he was on the verge of having his car repossessed, said Mr O'Sullivan who pleaded for leniency for his client.
He pointed out that he had pleaded guilty at the first available opportunity and was genuinely remorseful while Boersma as a former garda would find prison life difficult.
Judge Con Murphy accepted Boersma's early plea and he accepted that as a former garda going to prison, he could find himself in situations with people he may have prosecuted.
He said Boersma was 'little more than a child' in his approach to the robbery and he noted that he had co-operated fully with gardaí and assisted them in their investigation.
He said that taking everything into account, he believed the appropriate sentence was three years but he suspended it on condition Boersma keep the peace and be of good behaviour.
_________________________________________________________________

I'm not interested in his problems, in the same way I'm never interested in the problems of convicted criminals (drink and drunks/broken home/bla bla bla) in so far as sentencing is concerned. A member of An Garda Síochána (at the time anyway) has been convicted of attempted armed robbery with an imitation firearm and walks with a three year suspended sentence. I realise what prison would be like for him if he wasn't put in protective custody and that he co-operated once caught but what message does this send out to people? One law for us and one for them?

I doubt I would have walked from the courthouse with a suspended sentence. Am I alone in my cynicism?

gards hur

lcrcboy

any normal person who pulled a stunt like that would be in prison but that fella gets a suspended sentence typical of the corruption in this country

pragmatic1

lcrcboy wrote: »

any normal person who pulled a stunt like that would be in prison but that fella gets a suspended sentence typical of the corruption in this country

Nah thats not ture man. I know a lad who done a few armed robberies with real guns and he got probation. It all depends on the mood of the judge.

bonerm

Do we have a special wing for convicted gardai? I can't imagine they'd have much fun in with the "ordinary decent criminals".

irish pavee

pragmatic1 wrote: »

Nah thats not ture man. I know a lad who done a few armed robberies with real guns and he got probation. It all depends on the mood of the judge.

was he a gard

letsbehonest

lcrcboy wrote: »

any normal person who pulled a stunt like that would be in prison but that fella gets a suspended sentence typical of the corruption in this country

I know of two cases in my local town one of which a man went into a petrol station with a knife and stole about 1000 he got a 6 moth suspended sentence.
another is of a guy who went into our local post office and demanded money with a hammer. He then broke the glass in a door leading behind the counter and stole 2500 grand. In court he was basically told to pay for the door. If this man wasn't a guard we wouldn't even be talking about it here.

EGAR

Does one still get jail for non-payment of TV licence?

Bosco boy

EGAR wrote: »

Does one still get jail for non-payment of TV licence?

No one gets jail directly for not paying a tv licence, they get a fine in the court and if they dont pay the fine then it turns into a penal warrant for the same amount. The warrant is sent to the gardai for execution and if they fail to pay the amount the do the specified time in jail instead. They have plenty time to pay the fines and are not landed in jail straight from court. Many have plenty money but dont want to pay for anything and thats their biggest problem. Then they ring joe duffy and whinge to the nation as if it came out of the blue!

EGAR

:rolleyes:

pragmatic1

irish pavee wrote: »

was he a gard

Nope. Hes a little scummy shyte.

newmug

MardiB wrote: »

Don't be so harsh, he was found guilty alright but the sentence was suspended. He is an alcoholic who lost his house, his marriage, his career and now has a prison record. He is not exactly living the dream....

So what? What does that have to do with anything? Plenty of people are in worse circumstances and dont try to rob shops:mad:

Bosco boy

pragmatic1 wrote: »

Nope. Hes a little scummy shyte.

Ye might have alot in common!

MardiB

newmug wrote: »

So what? What does that have to do with anything? Plenty of people are in worse circumstances and dont try to rob shops:mad:

The point being he was found guilty and sentenced, albeit suspended, he didn't get away with it.

Dyr

Is he an irish citizen would be a more interesting question

pragmatic1

Bosco boy wrote: »

Ye might have alot in common!

Dont project your own insecurities on me.

biko

Bosco boy wrote: »

Ye might have alot in common!

Careful now

Offy

Its typical of the country we live. He should be sent to general pop along with 50% of his work mates.

Bosco boy

Offy wrote: »

Its typical of the country we live. He should be sent to general pop along with 50% of his work mates.

Are you allowed up late on saturday nights!

Bosco boy

pragmatic1 wrote: »

Dont project your own insecurities on me.

I wouldnt dream of it, you've enough of your own!

biko

Don't post in this thread again Bosco boy.

HavingCrack

I'm generally in favour of a carrot and stick approach to crime which includes heavy sentences for violent crime. However in this case sending the man to prison wouldn't achieve anything other than the mob getting their pound of flesh. He's lost his job, his home and addicted to alcohol, hardly living the life of reilly to be fair. He's also not a career criminal if he used to be in the guards. I've seen people with 37 convictions get suspended sentences and that gets me a lot more annoyed than this does. We also have a seriously overcrowded prison system (thread for another day) that hardly needs another prisoner.

Honestly what would sending him to prison do to lower crime in this country? Act as a deterrant? Unlikely. Punish him? Yeah it could do that but it doesn't really achieve anything. Rehabilitate him? Maybe but he isn't a hardened criminal in need of 'help'...

Naikon

Rehabilitation does not appear to apply in this country. If that were true, spent convictions would exist. How can you expect people to reform when the system continues to place roadblocks in front of past offenders?

Sonnenblumen

letsbehonest wrote: »

He is only human.
The man clearly has problems and we here know nothing about him or what he has being through in his life. He went down the wrong path and now he has lost his job and his reputation.

This man deserves little sympathy but plenty of hard labour.

He was a serving member of AGS a the time. To hell with the life story, losing his job, he committed a serious crime.

He's much worse than the usual perpetrators and regret that the judge was so lenient.:(

Hunter Mahan

Sonnenblumen wrote: »

This man deserves little sympathy but plenty of hard labour.

He was a serving member of AGS a the time. To hell with the life story, losing his job, he committed a serious crime.

He's much worse than the usual perpetrators and regret that the judge was so lenient.:(

He was not a serving member of AGS at the time as you put it, he had been AWOL for 5 months prior..
It amazes me how people jump to conclusions and make statements without knowing the facts, ridiculous.

The man has a disease, first offence, guilty plea and expressed remorse... a suspended sentence is about the norm in this country in such instances.

Sonnenblumen

Hunter Mahan wrote: »

He was not a serving member of AGS at the time as you put it, he had been AWOL for 5 months prior..
It amazes me how people jump to conclusions and make statements without knowing the facts, ridiculous.

The man has a disease, first offence, guilty plea and expressed remorse... a suspended sentence is about the norm in this country in such instances.

Picking hairs are we? Serving or not, the State invested in and trained this individual to uphold the law, not break it!! The fact he has a drink problem is a cop-out and not sufficient. Sorry but I would be much harsher in dealing with serving or former serving AGS members. Armed robbery is a very serious offence irrespective of what are the contributing factors.

BTW, the article reads as ..."A garda with a chronic drink problem who lost his job after attempting to rob a shop.."

Back to the reading class for you!:P

Hunter Mahan

It's not me picking hairs, you turned a story about a Garda losing his job because of an attempted robbery into a serving member of AGS losing his job etc etc..

I have a personal interest in the case as I covered it for work, he was absent without leave for 5 months as it appears he was in trouble with work as a result of his alcoholism.

Attempted Robbery and Robbery are 2 separate charges that can be brought before the judicial system and therefore can carry different sentencing options for a judge.

In the eyes of the law all are equal, and your view that a person who works for the State should be treated differently to any other citizen is just sensationalist tabloid gibberish.

The sentence passed down was neither lenient or harsh but typical..

I can only hope that for your sake that you or anyone close to you never hits rock bottom, because you are in for a rude awakening..

old_aussie

Send him to Australia as his punishment!

man.about.town

the fact he was a garda should have nothing to do with the case or the sentencing

letsbehonest

Sonnenblumen wrote: »

BTW, the article reads as ..."A garda with a chronic drink problem who lost his job after attempting to rob a shop.."

Back to the reading class for you!:P

If you actually read it it says he wasn't serving in the force for over five months at the time of the incident. This shows us that the man was taking time off work at the time because he knew he had a problem.
Back to reading class for you!:D

Sonnenblumen

Hunter Mahan wrote: »

It's not me picking hairs, you turned a story about a Garda losing his job because of an attempted robbery into a serving member of AGS losing his job etc etc..

I have a personal interest in the case as I covered it for work, he was absent without leave for 5 months as it appears he was in trouble with work as a result of his alcoholism.

Attempted Robbery and Robbery are 2 separate charges that can be brought before the judicial system and therefore can carry different sentencing options for a judge.

In the eyes of the law all are equal, and your view that a person who works for the State should be treated differently to any other citizen is just sensationalist tabloid gibberish.

The sentence passed down was neither lenient or harsh but typical..

I can only hope that for your sake that you or anyone close to you never hits rock bottom, because you are in for a rude awakening..

For starters, no one believes we're all equal. That's pious nonsense akin to fairy tales. Why are you misquoting me. I said he was a member,m you said he wasn't and I corrected you! It doesn't matter, a crooked cop is worse than a common criminal and yes I believe it should be taken into account. A drink 'illness' is no excuse. Should a Postman be treated differently to a Garda before the court? If the charge is serious as attempted robbery? Absolutely yes! A Gard is trained to defend the law and any breaches should be more sewverely punished. Also why if ill was the person AWOL for 5 months? Paid or not?

I have of course sympathy for anyone suffering any illness, but canot see much mitigation in this case.

Tabloid sensationalism? That's crap, smacks more of poor handling and IMO lenient sentencing.