Attempted gold-and-cash robbery failed when accomplices ran off with keys

The armed robbery of a gold storage business turned into a "fiasco" when the raiders had to be rescued by the fire brigade after locking themselves in, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court has heard.

Corkman Aidan Murphy (aged 32) was today jailed for five years by Judge Martin Nolan for his role in the offence. His two accomplices are still before the courts.

The raiders were targeting up to €440,000 worth of gold and cash which was being stored on the premises. They held two of the staff at gun point while making them go through the elaborate procedure necessary to open the safe system.

However another raider had fled the scene by then with the keys, meaning the remaining men were trapped on the premises. They couldn’t open the safe or the front shutters, which their accomplices had locked behind him.

Murphy of Stag Park Avenue, Mitchelstown pleaded guilty to attempted robbery and two counts of false imprisonment at the Bullion Room, Bolton Street, Dublin on August 10, 2010. Murphy has 51 previous convictions, including theft and assault.

Judge Nolan commented that the raid was a ‘fiasco’ and Murphy was “out of his league”. He said Murphy was “somewhat of a menace” and that the staff were terrified. The owner of the Bullion Room has since ceased trading as a direct result of the raid.

He jailed Murphy for five years, noting his early guilty plea and expressions of remorse.

Garda David Brennan told prosecuting counsel, Mr Vincent Henegehan BL, that the store had an elaborate security system. It took two people with separate keys to open the safe and a password had to be phoned through to a security company before the vault would open.

On the morning of the incident, a female member of staff and a security guard were opening the shutters on the outside of the store. Murphy and his two accomplices, all dressed as builders, came up behind them and forced them inside at gunpoint.

Murphy pointed the gun at the female and demanded one of the keys. He then made her phone in the password, telling her: “Make sure it’s the right one or I’ll f**king kill you.”

They then tied up both staff with cable ties and put duct tape on their mouths. Murphy couldn’t find the other key required to open the safe.

This was because the third raider had already fled, taking the keys and locking the shutters behind him. When Murphy and his accomplice realised they were locked in and couldn’t access the safe they started “frantically searching for a way out”.

They tried to escape through the ceiling tiles and to knock a hole in a wall using hammers, all to no avail. Gardaí had been alerted by then and the raiders could hear their radios through the shutters.

The fire brigade were called and had to cut a hole in the shutter to free those inside where the men were immediately arrested. The female member of staff pointed out to gardaí where they had hidden the gun in the ceiling tiles. It was found to be an imitation.

Defence counsel, Mr Paul Burns SC, said Murphy made immediate and full admissions. He said his client was not the brains behind the operation and was easily led by more senior criminals.