Daniel Braddish

Earlier today, Daniel Braddish (35) was sentenced to five years by the Limerick Circuit Court for robbing a Centra store on O’Connell Street, Limerick on September 10 2009. Braddish threatened the shop assistant with a carving knife before stealing €870 in cash and €80 worth of cigarettes. Braddish, of 176, St. Munchin’s Street, St. Mary’s Park employed the services of a look-out. Apparently he came across a neighbour from the Island begging on the street. Patrick O’Brien (25), also of St. Munchin’s Street, was paid €25 by Braddish - the price of a heroin score – to act as his look out during the robbery.

Braddish has a long history of being before the courts. In May 2002, he attempted to take the rap for Christy Keane, at Keane’s trial for possession of a coal bag (nearly 20 kilos) of cannabis. Though Keane was caught red-handed, by the Guards in August 2001, Braddish insisted he was the one with the drugs. Braddish was laughed out of court and Christy Keane served 7 ½ years of a 10 year sentence, being released a year ago today.

In April 2004, Braddish unsuccessfully attempted to rob a sex shop. He threatened an employee of the Utopia Adult Shop at 7, Ellen Street, with a butcher’s knife. The shop assistant fought back with a knife of his own and Braddish left empty handed. He was sentenced to five years in Limerick Circuit Court for that crime.

Before his most recent crimes, Braddish had already amassed some 26 prior convictions. In addition, last November, Daniel Braddish was caught stealing €260 worth of groceries in Arthur’s Quay, for which he was jailed for 4 months. Coincidentally, also in October, Antoinette Braddish, also of St. Munchin’s Street, was arrested for shoplifting in ‘New Look’ on Cruises Street. Antoinette was given a six months suspended sentence after trying to walk out of the store with six pairs of jeans.

How many pairs can you hide?

It’s fitting that Daniel Braddish’s latest conviction was as a result of incriminating CCTV footage. In May 2001, his criminal case set a legal precedent in the Supreme Court. In the Director of Public Prosecutions v. Daniel Braddish (2001), Braddish managed to extricate himself from a robbery conviction. He initially confessed to the Guards that he robbed the shop in July 1997. The Guards then returned CCTV evidence to its owner. Later, the shop owner destroyed the evidence and Braddish’s legal team used this as grounds for getting him off. The still photos the Guards made of Braddish allegedly robbing the shop were deemed not to be sufficient by the Supreme Court. The Braddish case is now cited as one of the main Irish precedents for preserving evidence.