A serial burglar who held a screwdriver to the neck of a Longford primary school principal during an armed raid last year has been jailed for three years.
Longford Circuit Court heard that chronic drug addict, James Cranny, of 14 Meadow Crest, Boyle, Co Roscommon consumed a "cocktail of drink and drugs" before the incident at St Joseph's National School last August.
The 38-year-old pleaded guilty to two charges of robbery, three charges of attempted robbery and one charge relating to the possession of a weapon following the incident on August 27th last.
The court heard the accused had been in Dublin on the day of the offence where he consumed a "cocktail of drink and drugs" including almost 80 sleeping and valium tablets before getting off a train in Longford shortly after 6pm.
Less than an hour later he interrupted a board of management meeting at the Longford town national school in a bid to steal money to try and procure more drugs.
He stormed into the building, shouting: "This is not a joke, I want €800" and armed with a screwdriver and pair of scissors, Mr Cranny approached principal Orla Egan and put a screwdriver to the right hand side of her neck.
After being told by Ms Egan she had no money, Mr Cranny turned his attentions to other people at the meeting before escaping with just over €200 in cash.
Mr Cranny, wrote letters of apology to each of his five victims claiming that "what I did to threaten people was no excuse and I deserve what I get."
Judge Keenan Johnson said the holding of a screwdriver to the neck of Ms Egan was "extremely aggravating" and he sentenced Mr Cranny to four years and six months in prison, suspending the final 18 months for a period of ten years subject to a number of conditions.
The commencement of the sentence was backdated to January 4, when Mr Cranny first went into custody.
