A man has been jailed for four-and-a-half years for attempting to rob a pub owned by Conor McGregor.
35-year-old Jason Paget pleaded guilty to a count of burglary after he made a ‘haphazard’ attempt to rob the Marble Arch - owned by the former UFC champion - in Drimnagh, Dublin in August last year.
He also pleaded guilty to further charges of assault causing harm, taking possession of a vehicle without the consent of the owner, and dangerous driving.
Those offences occurred whilst he was on bail awaiting his court date for the 12 August burglary at the Marble Arch.
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Gardaí were heading past the pub when they noticed that he shutters had been forced open and the alarm was sounding, the court was told.
Then, they saw two men attempting to get a cash register under the shutter doors, before retreating back inside when they spotted the police officers.
Paget was arrested in the area around half an hour later in a state of high intoxication with a cut on his head.
34-year-old Charles Darcy also pleaded guilty to the Marble Arch burglary, although he has not yet been sentenced.
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Darcy has also pleaded guilty to using a car without the consent of the owner and possession of a firearm.
His sentencing date is next month.
Paget has 15 previous convictions, including aggravated burglary and aggravated sexual assault.
He stole the keys to a pizza delivery driver’s car on 18 December, 2021 whilst on bail for the burglary, before driving off.
When he was followed by Gardaí, he drove down the wrong side of the road and the wrong way around a roundabout, even getting the car onto two wheels at one stage as other road users frantically tried to get out of the way.
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There were three people in the car at the time, who all fled as the chase ended with Paget crashing into a parked car.
He was then sprayed with pepper spray and became involved in a fight with an officer who broke his hand in the fracas.
Judge Crowe said that Paget is at high-risk of reoffending, but noted his steps taken to beat addiction problems that he was having at the time of the crimes, and that he has a support system in the UK that he wished to return to.
Paget was also handed a two-year driving disqualification.
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His lawyer Karl Monaghan BL told the court that his client had asked to apologise for some of the language he used towards the injured garda.
Topics: Sport, Ireland, Conor McGregor, Crime, UFC
Tom Wood