The armed robbery of a gold storage business turned into a “fiasco” when the raiders had to be rescued by the fire brigade after locking themselves in, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court has heard.
Corkman Aidan Murphy (32) was yesterday jailed for five years by Judge Martin Nolan for his role in the offence. His two accomplices are still before the courts.
The raiders were after up to €440,000 worth of gold and cash. They held two of the staff at gunpoint while making them go through the elaborate procedure necessary to open the safe system.
Another raider had fled the scene with the keys, meaning the remaining men were trapped on the premises. They could not open the safe or the front shutters, which their accomplices had locked.
Murphy of Stag Park Avenue, Mitchelstown, pleaded guilty to attempted robbery and two counts of false imprisonment at the Bullion Room, Bolton Street, Dublin, on August 10th, 2010.