A 28-year-old man has been jailed for four years by a judge at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for the robbery of a chemist in Glasnevin in Dublin.
Patrick O'Connell from Dingle Road in Cabra was convicted of the offence even though the prosecuting garda who arrested and charged him died a year and a half ago.
It is believed to be the first case of its kind where a person has been convicted upon the evidence of a deceased member of An Garda Síochána.
Patrick O'Connell was arrested and charged with robbing a chemist in Glasnevin in Dublin with a knife in July 2004.
The Circuit Criminal Court heard that O'Connell pleaded not guilty to the offence, even though he had admitted it to Detective Sergeant Kevin Stratford, who died in June 2006.
The case went to trial in January and O'Connell was convicted. It took the jury just 16 minutes to reach a verdict.
