A Co Wicklow man was jailed for four years by the Special Criminal Court yesterday for robbing a Dun Laoghaire pub last year.
Anthony Walsh (23), of Church View, Rathnew, Co Wicklow, pleaded guilty to the robbery of £6,966 and 11,000 cigarettes from the Purty Kitchen pub on November 13th.
He also admitted the unlawful possession of a semiautomatic shotgun, a revolver, six bullets and four shotgun cartridges in Wicklow town on November 21st last year.
Garda Insp Eamonn O' Reilly told the court that the manager and assistant manager of the pub were closing up around 12.30 a.m. when they heard noises coming from the toilets.
Two men wearing balaclavas, one carrying a sawn-off shotgun and the other a revolver, came out of the men's toilet and ordered them to lie on the floor. They tied the men's hands behind their backs and told them that if they moved they would be shot.
They then went to the office where they loaded cash and cigarettes into a bag before escaping.
Insp O'Reilly said Walsh went along on the robbery with someone else who gardai believe carried it out to raise funds for an illegal organisation.
The court sentenced Walsh to eight years' jail, but suspended the final four years on condition he did not associate with illegal organisations.