Cocaine addict robber is jailed

A cocaine addict has been jailed for 14 years for a string of armed robberies across Northern Ireland.

A judge said he had considered giving Emmanuel Curoe a life sentence.

The father-of-three carried out 10 armed robberies at jewellers shops and other businesses between March 2005 and August 2007.

The 36-year-old was involved in robbing £150,000 worth of Rolex watches and £100,000 worth of Cartier watches from separate jewellers.

The court heard that Curoe, formerly of Sandyknowes Park in Newtownabbey and now of no fixed address, was a cocaine addict who carried out the robberies to pay off drug dealers.