Two men who left a trail of blunders following a bank raid in Co Cork were given suspended prison sentences yesterday.
Robert Kennedy, of Moonarch, Callan, Co Kilkenny, and Raymond Keane, of Ballykeeffe, Kilmanagh, Co Kilkenny, were before Cork Circuit Criminal Court for their part in an armed raid on an Allied Irish Bank branch over 15 months ago.
Described by AIB staff as "polite and nice raiders", on August 6th, 2002, the men, aged 19 and 20, travelled from Kilkenny to the AIB at Innishannon, west Cork.
Carrying an imitation firearm which they bought over the internet, the duo robbed the bank of €3, 540. However, the motorbike they had parked nearby broke down, and they had to push it almost half a mile to their getaway car. They also left a mobile phone at the scene, which was traced back to them.
Investigating gardaí were also assisted by security footage from a garage at Midleton, where the apprentice metal fabricators had bought the vehicle, which showed the faces of the two men filling it with petrol.
Yesterday Judge Sean Ó Donnabhain said while the crime was premeditated, it "had all the elements of naivety".
Having heard the evidence of the Probation and Welfare Services and Det Sgt Jerry McCarthy, who stated that neither party had been in trouble since the raid, Judge Ó Donnabhain said: "The only thing saving you from a term of imprisonment is the way you dealt with the case and behaved since. I will err on the side of caution, and not dwell on the seriousness of the crime."
He imposed a three-year sentence on the pair, which he suspended on condition that they stay under the supervision of the Probation and Welfare Service and donate €2,000 each to the service for the cost of such supervision. They were also bound to keep the peace for three years.