Six Year Jail Term For IRA Extortionist

The Special Criminal Court has jailed a Dublin man who extorted more than a quarter of a million euro from a fish and chip shop owner in the city by threatening him with the Real IRA.

“It is abundantly clear that this activity was ordinary criminal racketeering and terrorising ordinary innocent people,” said Mr Justice Paul Butler.

31-year-old David Dodrill, a taxi driver and father of two with an address at Plunkett Avenue, Finglas, pleaded guilty last week to membership of the IRA on July 13th last year and today received a 6 year jail term.

Garda Chief Supt Diarmuid O’Sullivan told the court yesterday that over a period of two years, Dodrill forced the chip shop owner to hand over about €164,000, and in addition he forced the man to pay him €2,000 a week from 2010 to 2011, making an additional €100,000.

Chief Supt O’Sullivan said gardaí investigated the activities of the Real IRA in extorting funds from business people. He and Det Garda Tom Doran met the injured party, who reluctantly made a statement to gardaí in July 2011 and was “in serious fear”.

In his statement, the injured party, who was not identified in court, said he ran a number of fish and chip businesses in Mulhuddart, Baldoyle, Kylemore and the Old Naas Road. In September 2009 he was told to go to a pub on Dublin’s northside where he was approached by Dodrill, who told him that they were taking over a loan of €30,000 that he owed.

The businessman said Dodrill lifted his shirt and showed him tattoos of men in camouflage with balaclavas and guns and “Óglaigh na hÉireann” on his body. He said the tattoos “put him in fear of his life”.

(H)