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A man will go on trial at the Special Criminal Court next year charged with his involvement in a 2013 credit union robbery in which Det Garda Adrian Donohoe was shot dead.
The non-jury court heard on Thursday that the trial of Brendan ‘Benny’ Treanor (34), with an address at Emer Terrace, Castletown Road, Dundalk, Co Louth, could run for up to four months.
The court heard that there was also a co-accused in the case awaiting an extradition process in the UK.
Mr Treanor is charged with two offences relating to the robbery at Lordship Credit Union in Bellurgan, Co Louth on January 23rd, 2013.
It is alleged that he, along with others, between September 11th, 2012 and January 23rd, 2013 entered a residential premises in the State as trespassers with the intention of stealing the keys of the householder’s motor vehicles contrary to common law.
Mr Treanor is further charged with robbing Pat Bellew of some €7,000 in cash and assorted cheques at Lordship Credit Union on January 23rd, 2013.
The second alleged offence is contrary to Section 14 of the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001.
Mr Treanor’s counsel, John Berry BL, said that the defence may make an application regarding the jurisdiction of the court in the case.
He said that two senior counsel had yet to be instructed in the case but that his application to the court was for a date for trial.
Lorcan Staines SC, for the State, said there was a co-accused male in custody in the UK and that an international warrant had been issued for his presence in Ireland for the trial. Mr Staines said that there was a “huge” amount of material in the case and asked for a trial date next year.
Mr Justice Tony Hunt, presiding, fixed October 3rd, 2022, as a date for the trial and fixed December 21st next as a date for mention for an update on progress.
Aaron Brady (30), of New Road, Crossmaglen, Co Armagh, was sentenced last October to life in prison for the murder of Det Garda Donohoe. His trial was the longest murder case in Irish legal history, lasting 122 court days.