A Dublin gang leader was sentenced to 14 years' imprisonment at Clonmel Circuit Court for falsely imprisoning a Co Tipperary cigarette vendor operator.
Jeremy Cooper, Dunne Street, Dublin 1, who was sentenced to 12 years' imprisonment earlier this year on false imprisonment charges in the Mark Dwyer case, was the fourth member of the gang to be jailed following the 1997 raid on the Britton home in Cloneen, near Clonmel, Co Tipperary, when £40,000 worth of cigarettes were stolen.
Det Supt John Gallagher said Cooper was joint leader of a ruthless Dublin gang, which preyed on provincial towns and he had a reputation as a violent criminal. The gang entered the home with a sawn-off shotgun early on May 10th, 1997. Mr Frank Britton, his wife Mary and their three children, Adrian (13), Philip (10) and Gillian (7), were gagged, handcuffed and locked in a tiny storeroom with no ventilation. The children were sick and terrified. The family managed to tear pieces of the wooden door to let in air before they were rescued 16 hours later by a neighbour. Mr Britton was kicked and beaten during the raid and his wife still bears the scars of the handcuffs. Cooper (30) had 22 criminal convictions dating from 1983.
The three other gang members pleaded guilty to the same robbery and false imprisonment charges and have already received 10- and eight-year sentences.
Cooper came before three different juries on the four charges, and entered a guilty plea on the fourth day of the third trial. Judge Joseph Mathews praised the resilience of the Britton family. They had shown the true meaning of courage and were an example to the community. Imposing the sentence of 14 years, the last year of which was suspended, Judge Mathews said Cooper had an appalling record. He was given 14 years on both false imprisonment counts and 12 years for the robbery of £40,000 worth of cigarettes and £9,000 cash, sentences to run concurrently.