Man gets 10 year sentence for armed robbery at city jewellers

29 year-old, Gavin Carabini, of Our Lady’s Road, Maryland, Dublin 8, first appeared for trial before Galway Circuit Criminal Court last June. He had pleaded guilty to robbing 28 Rolex and 18 Cartier watches, worth more than a hundred thousand euro from Hartmann Jewellers on November 28, 2008.The matter was adjourned to yesterday for sentence.Sergeant Peter Conlon told the sentencing hearing that Carabini was one of three armed and masked men who entered Hartmann's jewellery shop around 1pm. that day.Co-accused Eugene Cullen, who is currently serving a 10-year sentence, had a pistol with a silencer attached, while Carabini and the third man, who was never caught, had iron bars.Three female staff and one customer were ordered to lie on the floor while Cullen used the gun to smash a glass cabinet containing the watches. The other gang members dumped the shelves of watches into a pillowcase.The raid lasted a minute before the gang ran to a waiting BMW being driven by a fourth man at Eglinton Street. It drove at speed down the wrong side of the road onto Woodquay where it collided with a car. They abandoned the BMW and got into a blue Volvo car and sped out the Headford Road. A major manhunt, involving a Garda helicopter, took place in the Athenry area and Carabini was captured that afternoon in a wooded area near the town.Carabini, who has 63 previous convictions for burglary, firearms offences, thefts and handling stolen property, is already serving a four-and-a-half year sentence for other offences.Imposing sentence, Judge Rory McCabe said the gang had showed wanton disregard for human life.Hearing Carabini was rehabilitating himself while in prison, the judge suspended the final eighteen months of the sentence for five years.