Convicted bank robber gets two years for fraud

A man serving a 10 year sentence for his role in an aborted bank raid during which a detective was shot dead has been jailed for two years for attempted fraud.

John Bishop ( aged 37), of Killane Heights, Edenderry, Co Offaly was convicted by a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court jury of attempting to obtain furniture by deception on August 14, 2001.

The jury, which took almost four hours to reach its verdict, heard that a suite valued €1,595 was ordered by telephone from a Tallaght store for delivery to an address at Castletymon Court.

A genuine Mastercard owned by an innocent party was used to attempt to pay for the suite but the shop manager became suspicious about it and alerted the gardai who set up a surveillance operation at the Castletymon Court address where Bishop signed for it using a false name.

The card-owner told the jury his card had not been stolen and was in his possession all the time. He was unaware of the attempted fraud until contacted by gardai.

Detective Garda Liam Coogan, Garda National Bureau of Fraud Investigation, told defence counsel Mr James Johnston BL he was aware that Bishop used the name "Dickie Lennox" but was never charged with anything in connection with that name.

Det Gda Coogan told Mr Johnston he was unaware that Bishop, formerly of St Ronan's Drive, Clondalkin, was divorced and the father of three children. He said his records showed he was not due for release from his current sentence until 2013.

Bishop is currently serving a 10-year sentence for conspiracy to rob the AIB bank in Abbeyleix on December 7, 2001 during which Det Sgt John Eiffe of the Garda Surveillance Unit was killed when hit by a ricochet bullet fired by a colleague.

Bishop was one of three men found guilty of the conspiracy to rob and of using a stolen car on the same occasion but they were found not guilty of possessing a sawn-off shotgun and a stun-gun during the planned raid.

His 34 previous convictions include one for possession of firearms, eight for robbery, one in relation to dangerous driving and 12 for the unauthorised taking of a vehicle.

Mr Johnson submitted the offence was on the lower end of the scale and neither the store nor the cardowner suffered any loss. Bishop had not been charged with this offence until June 2002.

Prosecuting counsel Mr Adrian Mannering BL said the maximum sentence for the attempted fraud was 10 years or a fine, or both.

Judge Yvonne Murphy praised the quick action of the store manager and the gardai, and noted Bishop's first offence was when he was only 14 years old.

She said he had chosen his sad lifestyle which now left him in prison on a long sentence. She said the two year sentence on this matter would date from June 2002 and run concurrently with his present term.