Corkman who allegedly raided post offices to fund US trip to meet fiancee applies for bail

Accused told gardaí he was 'desperate to travel again to the United States' to see woman he met online

Fintan Tindley: One of the grounds for objecting to bail was the allegation he was a flight risk as he had travelled to the United States twice this year to meet up with a woman he met online and to whom he had become engaged and was planning to visit again.

A 49-year-old man accused of carrying out three post office raids in the hope of getting money to travel to America to meet his fiancee is now hoping to be released on bail by the High Court.

Fintan Tindley, of Loughmahon Avenue, Mahon, Cork, appeared at Cork District Court by video link from prison on Wednesday.

His solicitor, Daithí Ó Donnabháin, said: “We anticipate he will be reached in the High Court bail application list tomorrow.” 

Inspector Brendan McKenna sought a two-week adjournment of the case to allow time for directions to be obtained from the Director of Public Prosecutions. 

Judge Olann Kelleher adjourned the case until December 21 and told the accused if was successful in his appeal to the High Court for bail, he was obliged to appear in court in person on the adjourned date.

Tindley, who was employed as a HSE homecare assistant, was charged with robbery of South Douglas Road Post Office on November 11, attempted robbery of the same premises on November 18 and robbery of Ballintemple Post Office on November 16.

Detective Garda Kevin Motherway said at the original bail hearing that it was alleged the accused entered the South Douglas Road post office wearing a hat and mask and that he caught a 77-year-old man who was a customer and put a knife to his throat as he made a demand for money from behind the counter. He got away with €2,380.

In Ballintemple, he entered the post office with a similar concealment of his identity and grabbed a 44-year-old woman and put a knife to her throat and demanded money from staff before making off with €1,300.

In the third alleged incident on the South Douglas Road, he grabbed a 44-year-old woman but he ended up running away empty-handed when a panic alarm was triggered.

One of the grounds for objecting to bail was the allegation he was a flight risk as he had travelled to the United States twice this year to meet up with a woman he met online and to whom he had become engaged and was planning to visit again. 

The detective said the accused told them he was “desperate to travel again to the United States to meet her”.

Mr Ó Donnabháin said the accused had no previous convictions of any kind.