Third man charged over north bank heist

A THIRD man has been charged in connection with the £26.5 million Northern Bank robbery.

Timothy John Cunningham, of Church View, Farran, Co Cork, is the son of financial adviser Timothy Ted Cunningham.

Cunningham Snr was charged earlier this year following the 2004 heist.

Cunningham Jnr, who turned 33 yesterday, faced two charges when he was brought before Judge Uinsin MacGruairc at the Cork District Court yesterday afternoon.

The accused is charged with:

* Aiding and abetting the possession of £3,010,380.

* Aiding and abetting the transfer of £200,000 to Dan Joe Guerin.

Both charges follow the robbery at the Northern Bank cash centre in Donegal Square West in Belfast, in which £26.5m was stolen.

Cunningham Jnr appeared in court wearing a plain black suit, black shirt and ivory-steel silk tie.

Cunningham Jnr was charged yesterday morning at Crookstown Garda Station, near Macroom, Co Cork, by Garda Séamus Padden.

He made no reply to either charge.

Following an application in court yesterday afternoon by Frank Buttimer, defending, Cunningham Jnr was remanded on bail to appear at the district court on May 28.

State solicitor Barry Galvin did not object to bail.

Mr Galvin said Cunningham Jnr was likely be served with a book of evidence that would run to about 1,000 pages at the next hearing.

Mr Galvin said the Director of Public Prosecutions did not consent to the matter being dealt with at district court.

The case would have to be heard on an indictment at the circuit court and the defendant consented to be sent for trial at the higher court, Judge MacGruairc was told.

“The defendant was abroad and has come back to face these charges,” said Mr Galvin.

Cunningham Jnr was released on bail on his own bond of €50,000, and with a surety of €8,000 that had been lodged into the court by Shane O’Driscoll, of Belfry Heights, Bandon, Co Cork.

The surety was acceptable to the prosecution, said Mr Galvin.

In March the accused’s father, Timothy Ted Cunningham, aged 59, of Woodbine Lodge, Farran, Co Cork, appeared in court on 10 money-laundering charges relating to the Northern Bank robbery.

He appeared alongside Don Blaney, aged 50, of Cnoc Abhann, Old Church Road, Passage West, Co Cork.

Blaney was accused of possessing 220 live rounds of ammunition at his home on February 18, 2005.