'Getaway' driver caught on camera

An alleged female 'getaway' driver was caught as a result of a concerned citizen shouting at her not to litter the place when she tried to dump a bag after an armed robbery, a Dublin Circuit Crimianl Court jury has heard.

An alleged female 'getaway' driver was caught as a result of a concerned citizen shouting at her not to litter the place when she tried to dump a bag after an armed robbery, a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court jury has heard.

Kim Kavanagh (aged 31), of Blackhall Court, near the city centre, has pleaded not guilty to three charges of robbery of a pharmacy and one of impeding apprehension on April 3 last year.

Prosecuting counsel, Mr Dominic McGinn BL, said in opening the case, that Ms Kavanagh had escaped from gardaí following the robbery and was attempting to dump a bag containing stolen drugs when someone in a nearby apartment saw her and shouted: "You can’t leave that bag there".

Mr McGinn said that when Ms Kavanagh proceeded to leave the bag by the side of the road, the concerned citizen became suspicious and took several photographs of her from his window.

He said she abandoned the car which gardaí later found along with the bag of drugs which were matched to those stolen from the pharmacy.

Mr McGinn said that when gardaí found letters addressed to Ms Kavanagh as well as her mobile phone number during a search of the home of one of the men who robbed the pharmacy.

Gardaí rang the number and a woman who answered said she was ‘Kim Kavanagh’. When the caller identified himself as a garda, she started to cry and said: "Was that you in my flat? I was scared to come in. I thought you’d arrest me. I’m down the country."

Mr McGinn said Ms Kavanagh was later arrested and charged with the robbery. He said the State intended to prove she acted as the getaway driver while her two accomplices entered the pharmacy and threatened customers and staff with a handgun and screwdriver.

He said the two men ordered the staff into the back of the store at gunpoint and got one of them to open the drugs safe. They took €950 worth drugs along with mobile phones, a handbag and €720 in cash from the till before escaping.

Mr McGinn said that gardaí arriving on the scene saw the men get into a black Volkswagen Golf which drove off, pursued by an offduty garda in his private car.

When the VW Golf got held up in traffic, Mr McGinn said a garda approached it and one of the men pointed a gun at him, causing him to dive to the ground.

The car then took off and stopped again on North Brunswick Street where the two men got out and tried to escape on foot before being caught by gardaí.

Mr McGinn said Ms Kavanagh drove off while the garda were dealing with the two men.

The trial continues before Judge Patrick McCarten and a jury of four men and eight women.