A 38-year-old man is due to appear in court on Monday after he was arrested and charged in connection with a robbery at an off-licence in Cork where a loan raider held up staff at knifepoint and made off with drink and tobacco.
The incident happened at about 7.15am on Saturday when a man armed with a knife entered O'Sullivan' Off-Licence on Main Street in Ballincollig and, threatening the staff member on duty, demanded alcohol and tobacco.
The man made off with some spirits and beer and tobacco and made his getaway in a taxi as the staff member, who was uninjured, raise the alarm and gardai from nearby Bishopstown responded.
Gardai were able to trace the taxi that the raider had used and they arrested a man from Ballincollig a short time later at Coolroe on the western side of the town and recovered the property which had been stolen from the off-licence.
Gardai also began a search for the weapon used in the robbery and with the aid of a sniffer dog, they also recovered a knife they believe was used in the raid and it has been sent for forensic examination.
The man was arrested and brought to the Bridewell Garda Station in Cork city where he was detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984 which allows gardai hold suspects for up to 24 hours.
The man was questioned at length about the armed raid on the off-licence and was later charged by gardai in connection with the robbery and he is due to appear on charges at Cork District Court on Monday morning.
