Bank heist accused could flee using raid cash, court told

One of two men charged over the country’s largest bank heist could go on the run using money from the robbery to guarantee his escape, a court heard today.

Unemployed father Mark Donoghue was refused bail after a senior investigating garda warned he may flee overseas to avoid trial and a possible 14-year jail sentence for suspected money laundering following the €7.6m Bank of Ireland theft.

The 39-year-old was detained with alleged accomplice Darren O’Brien, aged 23, after detectives stopped and searched a car on the M50-Navan Road interchange late on Friday night – hours after the College Green heist.

Earlier that day a gang of six thieves escaped with the huge cash haul after a ruthless tiger-kidnapping targeting a junior bank vault worker.

Donoghue, from Killeen, Leggan, Co Longford is accused of laundering 1.74m euro in cash recovered from two holdall bags in the back of a car the pair were travelling in near the N3 slip road.

O’Brien, from O’Brien Hall, Gardiner St Lower, in north inner city Dublin is charged with handling stolen property – the €1.74m.

Both men were remanded in custody at Dublin District Court until next Tuesday.

Unemployed Donoghue, who has a young family, attempted to secure bail but his application was refused after a senior investigating officer, Detective Sergeant Justin Kelly objected on a number of grounds.

The garda claimed Donoghue was detained after a car carrying the money was stopped at the M50/N3 Navan junction.

Det. Sgt Kelly claimed Donoghue could have access to unrecovered money from the bank heist – almost €6m euro – and use it to flee the state if granted bail.

“It is my belief that Mr Donoghue would have access to these funds and that would assist him,” the Detective told Judge Bryan Smyth.

“In fact, it would enable him to obtain passports.”

Det. Sgt Kelly urged the judge to refuse bail claiming the offences were serious and that the robbery followed the false imprisonment of a family on Thursday night in Co Kildare.

If Donoghue is found guilty he could face 14 years jail, the court was told.

Donoghue’s solicitor, Jim Orange, applied for free legal aid as his client is unemployed, but Judge Bryan Smyth asked for a statement of means.

Mr Orange also said Donoghue had a young family and had been living at the same address in Longford for seven years.

The court was told Donoghue made no reply when he was charged last night in Blanchardstown Garda Station after three days of questioning.

The second accused man, O’Brien, made no reply after being charged at Finglas Garda Station last night with handling stolen property – €1.74m believed to be from part of the stolen haul.

Detective Sergeant Kenneth Donnellan said O’Brien was also arrested on the M50 at the Navan Road junction.

There was no request for bail or legal aid.

Both men were remanded in custody to Cloverhill Prison to appear before the local District Court next Tuesday morning.

Six men and a woman were detained within hours of the robbery after a series of surveillance operations and raids on homes across north Dublin.

Junior bank worker Shane Travers was forced to empty the city centre vault while his girlfriend Stephanie Smith, her mother Joan, and Joan’s six-year-old grandson were held hostage at gunpoint.

Gardaí were not alerted about the robbery – similar to that carried out at the Northern Bank in Belfast when £26.5m (€29.5m) was taken in a pre-Christmas raid in December 2004 – until Mr Travers had left the bank with four laundry bags full of new notes at 7.15am.