‘Honey trap’ pair narrowly avoids jail

Two members of a so-called ‘honey trap’ gang have narrowly avoided jail.

The four-member gang used dating websites to lure two men on separate occasions to remote parts of the West before attacking them.

Roscommon Circuit Criminal Court heard last week that the men had expected some kind of sexual encounter, but instead were subjected to assault, false imprisonment and robbery.

One of the victims contacted a girl called ‘Emma’ over the internet in June of last year. Several messages were exchanged before she invited him to meet him in Co Roscommon.

The court was told he was given detailed instructions to meet the young female but when he arrived at the remote location near Strokestown around 9.30pm a man appeared and asked him what he was doing with his sister.

A number of other men appeared, armed with a baton, hammer and baseball bat. The victim was attacked and hit over the head. His wallet and iPhone was taken and he had to give the gang his PIN number.

He was bundled into the boot of his own car and taken to a forest before one of the gang went to an ATM to withdraw money.

The gang member returned a couple of hours later without getting any money. A handgun was produced and the victim was taken to another ATM but he could not get any money out either. He was later allowed to drive away.

In the second incident, another man from Dublin drove to Strokestown to meet a girl called ‘Amber’ whom he had met online.

A number of men appeared and attacked him, hitting him over the head with a baseball bat.

He told gardaí that he thought the men, who had a hammer and other weapons including a handgun, were going to kill him. They demanded his wallet and PIN number and they later got €600 from his account.

A 17-year-old schoolgirl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, and Anthony Carolan, aged 21, from Strokestown, pleaded guilty to the false imprisonment, assault and robbery of the first man on June 18, 2013.

The schoolgirl also pleaded guilty to the charges in relation to the second man later last year.

Carolan and the schoolgirl both appeared at Roscommon Circuit Criminal Court yesterday for sentencing. The sentencing of the remaining two gang members will take place in May.

Judge Tony Hunt noted it was Carolan’s first offence and he had not been involved in the second incident.

He imposed a two-year prison sentence but suspended it for two years and bound him to keep the peace for 12 months.

Judge Hunt described the schoolgirl as essential to the operation of the scheme “because there had to be a bait on the hook”.

After hearing that the girl was remaining in education and was a high achiever, he imposed total sentences of three-and-a-half-years but suspended them for the same period and also ordered her to remain under the direction of the Probation and Welfare Service for 12 months.

Only her age had saved her from going into detention, the judge added.