Man (20) jailed for a string of knifepoint robberies targeting teenage boys

Isabel Hayes and Fiona Ferguson

A young man who embarked on a string of knifepoint robberies across south Dublin, targeting teenage boys for their mobile phones and bank cards, has been jailed for seven years.

Alex Onuh (20) pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to 15 counts of robbery and four counts of attempted robbery on various dates between November 2023 and September 2024. The court heard he targeted teenage boys, sometimes alone but often as part of a gang.

Onuh, of Woodford Drive, Clondalkin, was recognised by gardaí after he wore the same distinctive jacket during most of the attacks – a Moncler coat with the 'authentic' Moncler label still attached to the zip, the court heard. He has no previous convictions.

A number of victims in the case were threatened with a knife or told that they would be slashed if they did not hand over their mobiles. They were almost all made to reset their phone to factory settings so it could be sold online.

The majority of offences took place in Rathfarnham, Ballyboden, Ballycullen, Knocklyon, Ballinteer and Dundrum, with one incident also taking place in Coolock on the north side of the city, a number of garda witnesses told Joe Mulrean BL, prosecuting.

Video footage

In one attempted robbery incident on September 28th, 2024, a vulnerable teenager (17) was chased from a bus to his home by Onuh and a gang of other youths. He was kicked and assaulted as he lay on the ground before he managed to escape. Video footage of the young man screaming for his mother, which was captured on his home camera doorbell, was played in court.

This victim, who had previously suffered an acute brain injury and has additional needs, was left extremely shaken after the attack, the court heard.

On an occasion on November 22nd, 2023 at Ballinteer Road, Dundrum, two boys aged 15 and 16 were detained for a number of minutes by Onuh and another young man. They were forced to hand over their mobiles, told their faces would be slashed and made to reset their phones to factory settings.

A few days later at an address in Ballinteer, Onuh and the same co-accused used a similar modus operandi to rob three other teenagers, aged 16 and 17, of their mobiles. In this incident, the victims were followed off a bus and one of them had a flick knife pushed against his face, the court heard.

In another incident in Ballinteer on January 5th, 2024, a 17-year-old teenager had his mobile phone and bank card stolen by Onuh, who was alone on this occasion. The teenager recognised Onuh from the general area.

He was forced by Onuh to go to a number of ATMs under duress until he had withdrawn €250 and he was then made to transfer a further €1,000 to Onuh. Gardaí arrested Onuh a few days later and interviewed him before he was released.

A further eight teenagers had their mobile phones stolen in similar circumstances, while one had his imitation Canada Goose jacket stolen. A further three were the victims of attempted robbery when Onuh, again operating on his own, tried to rob three teenagers who managed to run away.

Onuh was arrested by gardaí a number of times during the offending period. A number of the stolen phones were found to have been sold on an online second-hand mobile phone site.

Diana Stuart SC, defending, said Onuh's family was originally from Nigeria and lived in the Netherlands before coming to Ireland, where he was homeless for a lengthy period as a child. Growing up in poverty, he was “relentlessly bullied” and racially abused, Ms Stuart said.

His mother has a consistent work history and worked hard to support the family, who eventually got their own home when Onuh was about 14. However, he got involved in a negative peer group and started robbing in order to get more money, defence counsel said. “Effectively, the bullied became the bully,” Ms Stuart said.

Sentence

Passing sentence, Judge Elma Sheahan said Onuh's offending demonstrated pre-planning, pre-meditation and was repetitive. She said the injured parties had been threatened, some with severe violence and some with a slash knife.

She said the offences demonstrated a lack of regard for the community at large and all those affected by the offending. She said the focus and attention brought to the case by the investigating gardai was impressive and to be commended.

Judge Sheahan said Onuh had played a leading role in at least one offence, noting a distressed young victim had been kicked om the ground outside his own home and followed to his front door while being threatened by Onuh, as he called for help from his mother inside.

In mitigation, she took into account Onuh’s unsettled childhood, his pro-social family and lack of prior convictions. She also noted his early guilty pleas and that he has not come to further garda attention.

Judge Sheahan imposed consecutive sentences totalling eight years and suspended the final year on strict conditions. She said she hoped he would use his time in custody to rehabilitate, noting he would undoubtedly need support upon his release from custody.