A MAN guilty of attempting an elaborate bank heist represented himself in court yesterday because he “doesn’t want to waste any more public money”.
John O’Connell (48) of Roseberry Lane, Lucan, Dublin, and another man spent five nights tunnelling into an Offaly bank from a vacant building next door.
When he was arrested O’Connell was wanted for an offence where, six months earlier, €250,000 was taken from AIB. He was never charged with that offence. O’Connell, who represented himself, pleaded not guilty to burglary, criminal damage and conspiracy to rob at the old post office, JKL Street, Edenderry, on April 26th, 2009. Shortly after the trial began yesterday he changed his plea to guilty on the burglary and criminal damage offences.
The prosecution accepted the pleas and O’Connell asked to be sentenced immediately. When Judge Patrick McCartan asked him if he would like professional representation he declined saying, “I don’t want to waste any more public money, your honour”.
He was sentenced to five years. The judge called it “a very skilful and well thought-out operation” and commended the owner of the vacant post office for alerting gardaí when he noticed signs of the tunnelling. The men were caught in the act after gardaí observed them enter the building every night for five nights.