A former straight-A student who carried out nine robberies in seven days while on crack cocaine has been jailed for four years. Laurence Bryan (33) hit the same pharmacy four times in four days.

In one day he shoplifted up from three shops in The Square and in Fortunestown Shopping Centre, Tallaght, Dublin.

Bryan, of Brookview Crescent, Tallaght, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to carrying out nine robberies in the area between March 15th and 22nd, 2013.

He admitted possession of a weapon during some of these robberies. He also pleaded guilty to three thefts and stealing a car on February 22nd and to robbery of a pharmacy in Fortunestown Shopping Centre.

Judge Mary Ellen Ring suspended the last 18 months of a 5½-year prison term and backdated the sentence to March 2013.

Bryan was spending up to €450 a day to feed a crack cocaine habit. During the robberies he would jump over the shop counters before threatening staff with a large kitchen knife. He robbed the Topaz Pharmacy, Blessington Road, Tallaght, on March 15th, 16th, 17th and 19th. He used a knife to rob €800 from staff working in Hickey’s pharmacy in Fortunestown on March 17th and to take €700 from the till in KFC restaurant in City West shopping centre, Tallaght.

Terrified

Sarah Jane Callaghan, defending, said her client was a bright child who was always in the top class in school. He got into drugs because he was bored and understimulated. Bryan began dabbling in cannabis and at the age of 15 he started taking heroin. Despite this he completed his Leaving Cert and got As in all subjects. Counsel said Bryan wants to do an open university degree in business. He has written letters of apology to the victims of his crimes and invited them to contact him so he can apologise in person.

Counsel said Bryan’s mother suffered brain aneurisms during his Leaving Cert year. His brother was murdered in 2006 and Bryan only started offending in 2008, counsel said. Bryan has 122 previous convictions including robbery, criminal damage and possession of knives.