Northern Bank worker recognised writing on notes, court told

A Northern Bank employee could identify her handwriting on almost 300 sterling notes recovered by Cork gardaí during searches in the county in early 2005, the Special Criminal Court heard today.

Ms Sonia Moore, an official at the bank’s headquarters in Belfast city centre, said that markings she had made as part of her job were visible on 287 bank notes.

A total of £26.5m (€30.72m) was stolen from Northern Bank during a “highly sophisticated” and “exceptionally well planned” robbery in December 2004.

The three-judge non jury court was hearing evidence in the trial of Tom Hanlon (aged 43), of Pembroke Row, Passage West, Co Cork who is accused of IRA membership on February 16, 2005.

Mr Hanlon, a painter and decorator, has pleaded not guilty to the offence.

Among the sterling cash seized by Cork gardaí in February 2005 was £2.4m (€2.78m) sterling found in seven bags, stored in a locker at a house in the county.

Mr Hanlon’s trial has already heard that a DNA sample taken from him matched DNA lifted from the zip tags and handle of one of bags containing the cash.

Yesterday, Ms Moore told the court she was based in cash services at the bank at the time of its robbery in late 2004.

She said part of her duties involved separating “mixed denomination bank notes” which was occasionally done “by hand”. The court heard that Ms Moore would mark the top note of each bundle as a means of identifying how many notes were contained in each pile.

Also giving evidence before the court yesterday was Detective Superintendent Essie Adair, head of the PSNI’s organised crime bureau, who was responsible for gathering intelligence on those responsible for the Northern Bank robbery in its aftermath.

Superintendent Adair told Mr Tom O’Connell SC, for the State, said the robbery involved “a lot of violence” with one of the families held hostage being repeatedly told they would “be shot”.

Under cross-examination from Mr Ciaran O' Loughlin SC for Mr Hanlon, Superintendent Adair accepted no one had ever been “successfully prosecuted” for the robbery.

Mr Hanlon’s trial has already heard evidence of a Garda Chief Superintendent who said he believed he was “on the trail” of money stolen in the Northern Bank robbery when he launched an investigation into the accused.

The case resumes on Tuesday next.