A highly organised Garda operation to intercept a vehicle used in a foiled post office robbery in Lusk, during which two of the raiders died, failed when gardaí were unable to positively identify the vehicle to be used in the raid until just before the attempted robbery.
Det Supt Dominic Hayes of the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation was in charge of the complex operation to prevent the robbery at Lusk on May 26th, 2005, which also involved members of the Emergency Response Unit (ERU) and the National Surveillance Unit.
Det Supt Hayes yesterday told an inquest into the deaths of Colm Griffin (33) and Eric Hopkins (24), who were shot dead by a member of the ERU during the attempted robbery, that the objective on the morning of the foiled robbery was to prevent the raiders from entering the premises and from carrying out a robbery there, as well as to recover any firearms used in the operation.
With this in mind three distinctive ERU cordon units were posted to the south, west and north of Lusk post office on the morning in question with the sole objective of intercepting the vehicle, a black Skoda Superb, before it reached its destination.
However, Det Sgt Eunan Malone, the officer in charge of the ERU operation on the ground, told the court he was unable to positively identify the Skoda as the actual target car until he saw it arrive at the post office from a southerly direction and slow down outside the post office.
He also observed the three raiders looking intently at the building.
It was at that point that he called all three units and gave the order to intercept the car, Det Sgt Malone said.
"At that point I made the decision it was a target vehicle and I felt I couldn't let it pass any further because of the risk involved. I decided I wanted the car stopped," Det Sgt Malone told the court.
But the Skoda made an abrupt turn around and approached the rear entrance of the post office via a lane.
By the time the units arrived at the post office, the raiders had abandoned their vehicle and entered the premises.
Counsel for the Hopkins and Griffin families John Byrne suggested to Det Supt Hayes that if the Skoda had been stopped at the southern cordon, the robbery could have been prevented.
However, Det Supt Hayes told the court that the behaviour of gangs is something which is difficult to predict.
The court heard that as part of the Garda intelligence operation there were as many as five suspect vehicles under observation by gardaí, one of which was the black Skoda.
Intelligence gathered as part of the operation also indicated that the raiders would enter the premises via the front door.
Other factors which may have prevented gardaí from intercepting the vehicle included information that the raiders would not have a firearm in their possession until shortly before the robbery, the court was told.
Det Sgt Malone was one of six members of the ERU who gave evidence from behind a screen at the inquest yesterday.
Det Sgt Terence O'Brien, Det Garda Jonah Roche, Det Garda Enda Grogan and Det Garda Brian Whelan, all members of the various ERU cordons, also gave evidence from behind a curtain.
Earlier yesterday morning, Det Garda B, the detective who assisted Det Garda A while in the post office, gave evidence.
Det Garda A shot both of the raiders.
Det Garda B, a member of the National Surveillance Unit, told the court he did not see either of the raiders being shot.
He told the court that when he heard the first raider hitting the post office counter with a sledgehammer, he called to Det Garda A for assistance.
"At this stage the glass of the hatch was broken badly and I was in fear for the safety of myself, Det Garda A and the members of staff."
"It was at this stage Det Garda A entered the shop floor."
The inquest is expected to conclude tomorrow.