Raider says gardaí did not warn before shots

A man serving 10 years in jail for his role in an armed robbery in which two accomplices were shot dead has claimed gardaí should have stopped them before the robbery got under way.

Gavin Farrelly (35), Lower Sheriff Street, Dublin, claimed at the men's inquest yesterday that gardaí should have stopped the car the armed and masked gang were travelling in as it was driving towards the Village Stores shop and post office in Lusk, north Co Dublin.

"They could have stopped us there, there was no gardaí around," he said.

He said that he and his accomplices, Eric Hopkins and Colm Griffin, drove to Lusk in a Mercedes van before switching into a stolen Skoda in a housing estate close to the crime scene.

"The plan was to rob the post office," he said.

Farrelly added that he was sure gardaí shot his two friends before any warning was shouted by them that there were armed officers at the scene.

"I can remember what I heard like it was five minutes ago, I know what I heard," he said.

His testimony differed from that of customers who were in the shop, all of whom have said gardaí shouted a number of warnings before any shots were fired.

Griffin threatened staff and customers with the gun and many witnesses have told the inquest that they were terrified and thought they were going to die.

Brian Maguire, a delivery man in the shop at the time, said in his evidence at Dublin Coroner's Court yesterday that he heard the Garda warning.

"[ They shouted] 'armed gardaí, put your weapons down'. That was repeated several times," he said.

The inquest heard Farrelly used a sledge hammer to try and break down a door into the serving area of the post office, hitting the door and reinforced glass 12 times. He hit the door twice after the fatal shots were fired because he believed the shots were warning shots fired by Colm Griffin.

Det Garda John Higgins, a Garda ballistics expert, said he examined the raiders' gun and the firearms used by the garda who fired the three fatal shots at Griffin and Hopkins.

He said the gun carried by Griffin was a semi-automatic pistol. It was loaded with six rounds in the magazine. It was not fired on the day of the botched raid.