A couple who staged a robbery to clear their debts so they could adopt children were given suspended jail terms at Trim Circuit Court yesterday.
Patrick Geoghegan (27), of Casement Green, Finglas West, Dublin, and Sinead Kelly (27), of The Close, Huntersrun, Clonee, Co Meath, pleaded guilty to the charge of robbing €17,300 from Paddy Powers bookies in Clonee on July 27th, 2001.
Kelly had worked in the shop for four years at the time, and she also pleaded guilty to a charge of making a false statement to gardaí.
Judge Raymond Groarke praised the Garda investigation that found discrepancies between her statement and the security video footage of what was alleged to have taken place on the day.
He said they had affected "a scam", but had also allowed themselves to be led up the garden path by a third unnamed person "on the promise of money".
They admitted the offences in court in April, and the judge remanded them in custody while he decided on what the appropriate sentences would be.
The earlier court heard that Geoghegan told gardaí he was in financial difficulties, that the couple couldn't have children and wanted to clear their debts so they could adopt.
During the staged robbery Kelly was left tied to a table on the premises and initially told gardaí she had been confronted by a man carrying a gun when she parked her car after arriving for work.
She said the gun was put to her back, and she was forced into the premises and told to turn off the alarm.
She then said she was told to open the safe, replied that there was a time delay on it and was then tied to the table by the raider who emptied the contents of the safe into a black holdall.
However, the Garda investigation looked at her mobile phone records and found she had sent four text messages to Geoghegan before the robbery and had communicated with him and the third alleged raider by phone.
The third person was not named in court, and has not yet come before the courts.
Geoghegan told gardaí he had used half the money to pay off debts as he was experiencing financial difficulties; they wanted to adopt children and he wished to clear his debts.
Passing sentence, Judge Groarke said while the money taken was never recovered the couple had made considerable efforts to come up with €13,000 in compensation.
He imposed jail terms of 2½ years on both, but suspended them for two years on the pair entering into bond to keep the peace and be of good behaviour for the next two years.