A MAN has admitted to carrying out a €1.2 million jewellery robbery at Dundrum shopping centre.
Ian Maloney (24), Cashel Road, Crumlin, had pleaded not guilty to robbery, possession of a 12-gauge shotgun and possession of a sawn-off shotgun at Paul Sheeran Jewellers in Dundrum Town Centre on September 3rd, 2008.
He pleaded guilty to the robbery charge yesterday, the fifth day of his trial at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court before a jury, following a number of days of legal argument.
James Dwyer, prosecuting, told Judge Gerard Griffin, that the State was entering a nolle prosequi on the two remaining charges. Judge Griffin adjourned the case to later this month for sentence and ordered a victim impact report for that date. He remanded Maloney in continuing custody.
A member of staff gave evidence that she was the keyholder on the evening when two men entered dressed as builders.
Candice McCutcheon told Mr Dwyer that she thought they were customers and went to greet them when one of them raised a gun and pointed it at her. She said it was a “sawn-off” and “old and rusty looking”.
The armed raider told her to get back before ordering all the customers and staff to move against a wall. Ms McCutcheon said the other man had a crowbar which he used to open a jewellery cabinet before realising it was not the one with more valuable items in it.
She said he opened another cabinet and started filling a black bin bag with jewellery. The men then fled and she went to the shopping centre’s help desk to alert security.
Mr Dwyer told the jurors in his opening speech that they would hear evidence that the raiders escaped in a car which was later found abandoned with a gun in it.
There would also be evidence of an identification procedure during which Maloney was identified by several people in the shop as the man carrying the gun.