Lordship Credit Union Robbery
A Crime That Shook the Nation
Judges at the Special Criminal Court found Armagh resident James Flynn guilty of conspiring with garda killer Aaron Brady to steal a car that was allegedly used in the robbery of the Lordship Credit Union, which resulted in Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe’s murder more than ten years ago.
The related accusation of robbery at the credit union against Flynn and his co-accused Brendan Treanor is still for resolution in the three-judge court. These accusations are rejected by each defendant.
Brendan Treanor, one of Flynn’s co-defendants, was cleared today by the Special Criminal Court of a charge of conspiring to conduct burglaries after the three-judge panel decided there wasn’t enough evidence to convict him of being a member of that specific plot.
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James Flynn was initially accused of planning to commit an array of creeper robberies in the Irish counties of Louth, Cavan, Monaghan, and Westmeath in 2013, but Mr. Justice Hunt determined today that there wasn’t enough evidence to condemn him on that accusation.
The judge changed the indictment to read that Flynn conspired with garda killer Aaron Brady and another person to break into a building at Clogherhead, Co. Louth, in order to steal a Volkswagen Passat’s keys on 22 and 23, 2013, at several sites in the county.
Two days later, Det Gda Donohoe was fatally shot during a robbery of a financial union in Lordship, and it is claimed that the same vehicle was used in that incident as well.
In a thorough ruling today, Mr. Justice Hunt, sitting alongside Judges Sarah Berkeley and Alan Mitchell, announced the decisions of the three-judge, non-jury court.
Mr. Justice Hunt remarked that every element of the prosecution case was consistent with the charge that Flynn intentionally conspired with two companions to steal the Volkswagen Passat while giving the long verdict today at the Special Criminal Court.
“The CCTV and timings of the communications indicated that they were involved in a night’s work of a criminal variety, and that is borne out by the circumstantial evidence,” the official continued.
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The Accused and the Charges
James Flynn (32) of South Armagh and Brendan Treanor (34), formerly of Emer Terrace, Castletown Road, Dundalk, Co. Louth, are accused of robbing the Lordship Credit Union in Bellurgan, Co. Louth, of €7,000 on January 25, 2013.
The two men were also accused of planning to break into residential properties with the goal of taking car keys between September 11, 2012, and January 23, 2013, together with convicted garda murderer Aaron Brady and others. To all allegations, both defendants had entered a not guilty plea.
Aaron Brady (31) was convicted of the murder of Det Gda Adrian Donohoe and the robbery at Lordship. He was previously from New Road in Crossmaglen, Co. Armagh, and is currently serving a life sentence with a 40-year minimum. He denied being a part of the crime and will appeal his conviction starting next month.
On May 19 of this year, the two defendants’ trial came to a close after 55 days of testimony, legal arguments, and closing arguments from the prosecution and defence.
In his closing argument last May, Sean Guerin SC, a lawyer representing Mr. Treanor, claimed the there was no proof of a “overarching conspiracy” or of any kind of agreement on the burglaries, nor was there any proof that Mr. Treanor had actually committed any of them.
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Source: Sundayworld