A "hardened career criminal" has been jailed for four years for his role in stealing €60,000 from a branch of the TSB with inside help from a cashier.
Martin Byrne (37), of Cromcastle Avenue, Coolock, has already served nine years for a previous bank robbery and three years for a drugs offence.
Byrne pleaded guilty before his trial before a jury for armed robbery of the TSB Bank, Henry Street, Dublin, on October 12th, 2000.
Judge Joseph Matthews of the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court said he was mindful that "an insider young woman cashier", Joanne Dicker (23), from Ardmore Drive, Beaumont, was central to the crime and was recently jailed for nine months by Judge Elizabeth Dunne for her role.
Judge Matthews described Byrne as "a hardened career criminal" who had spent 12 years of his 37 in prison for two serious offences and said the court would have been justified in handing out a higher sentence for this latest robbery.
But, in view of his guilty plea and in the hope of persuading him towards rehabilitation he would leave the sentence at four years and would also suspend the final six months to take account of the time he had spent in custody.
Judge Matthews noted also that while Byrne had to "face the music" in court, his co-accused in the robbery, Anthony Armstrong (32) of Rathvilly Drive, Finglas, was in Spain enjoying the fruits of the crime and could not be extradited.
"It takes courage to stand before a jury of his peers and admit his guilt as he has done when he could have fought a trial as his right and perhaps got off, even on a technicality," Judge Matthews said.
During the investigation gardai learned that a Brinks Allied truck had deposited foreign currency at the bank 15 minutes before the robbery.