A shop assistant thought she was going to be killed when two men robbed her shop.
Shauna Cooper was left terrified and fearing for her life when two men robbed Munchies confectionary shop in Buncrana.
One of two brothers appeared at Letterkenny Circuit Court today charged with the robbery of the shop on February 15th, 2011.
Richard McDonagh, 31, had pleaded guilty to the charge.
His brother Francis has also pleaded guilty and will be sentenced at a later date.
Ms Cooper, who was then 23, was working in the shop when the two men arrived.
Francis McDonagh pushed her back when she tried to stop the men from coming behind the counter.
Ms Cooper told investigators “I was fearful for my life and that he was going to hit me. I had visions in my head that I was going to be killed and didn’t know if they were going to pull a gun or a knife.”
The men eventually grabbed the till drawer which contained €200 and fled the scene, pulling boxes down as they went to block Ms Cooper from following them.
The Gardai were alerted and the two men were caught a short time later as Ms Cooper identified them.
The court heard that Richard McDonagh, of Castle Avenue, Buncrana, was out on bail for other alleged offences and had 49 previous convictions.
Defence barrister Fiona Crawford said her client had battled with a drug and drink addiction but was now clean for seven months and was attending a programme in prison.
Judge John O’Hagan described the robbery as a shocking, scary and frightening experience for Ms Cooper.
“She didn’t know what was going to happen,” he said.
Judge O’Hagan sentenced McDonagh to two and a half years in prison and backdated it to November, 2012 when he was first put in custody.