The court of appeal on Thursday suspended the prison sentence of a man convicted of robbery and conspiracy to commit a felony, stating that the court of first instance did not adequately consider his personal circumstances.

The man had pleaded guilty to robbing a complainant of €60 using force, as well as to conspiracy related to drug trafficking.

The criminal court sentenced him to 18 months for robbery and nine months for conspiracy.

The appellant and another man met the complainant over a small-scale drug transaction.

During the incident, the co-defendant assaulted the complainant, stole money and caused injuries, while the appellant left the scene with him.

The appeal focused solely on the refusal to suspend the sentence.

The defence cited the appellant’s clean criminal record, remorse, cooperation with the authorities, family difficulties and serious health problems.

The appeals court ruled that although the district court had considered mitigating factors, it had not properly balanced them against the circumstances of the case.

Judges noted that the appellant did not play a leading role, there was no evidence of organised planning on his part and he had not reoffended in the time since the incident.

The prison sentences remain unchanged but have been suspended for three years from the date of the original ruling.