*Carrigaholt Post Office. Photograph: Tom Micks
THREE Clare men who have pleaded guilty to the robbery of a post office in the Carrigaholt are to learn their court fate in November.
This follows Judge Francis Comerford at Ennis Circuit Court fixing November 10th for the sentencing hearing for the three co-accused.
Counsel for the State, Sarah Jane Comerford BL (instructed by State Solicitor for Clare, Aisling Casey) said that the sentencing for the three, Michael McMahon, Darren Cassidy and Daragh Pender could be tentatively fixed for November 10th “and will take half a day”.
Judge Comerford fixing a date for the sentencing follows Michael McMahon (38) of Plunkett Drive, Kilkishen pleading guilty to robbing Maura McKiernan, the post-mistress at An Post Carrigaholt, The Square, Carrigaholt of cash, coins and a cheque to the value of €8,944.63, contrary to Section 14 of the Criminal justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001 on January 21st.
Mr McMahon pleading guilty follows Darren Cassidy (38) of Lifford Mews, Lifford, Ennis last month affirming the signed guilty plea he had previously entered at Ennis District Court. The two remain on remand in custody pending sentence.
Co-accused Darragh Pender (30) of Dun na hInse, Ennis has signed a plea of guilty to the robbery in the district court.
Mr Pender, currently on bail, has twice since attended Ennis Circuit Court to affirm his signed plea of guilty but has been unable to do so due to the solicitors’ dispute with the Department of Justice over the criminal legal aid flat fee dispute.
A fourth accused, Martin Downes (36) of Seafield Park, Quilty remains in custody with consent to bail pending trial and is pleading not guilty to the robbery charge.
Solicitor for Mr Downes, Tara Godfrey asked that Mr Downes’s case be adjourned to the call over of cases to November 13th.
Ms Godfrey said that there is a large amount of disclosure and a large amount of work in respect of Mr Downes’s defence “and he is pleading not guilty on everything we have at this time”.
Ms Godfrey said that Mr Downes hasn’t quite managed to take up his bail as of yet.
Judge Comerford told Mr Downes that if he isn’t able to take up his bail he will be remanded to November 13th with his trial due to take place in February of next year.
Mr Downes said that he understood this and Judge Comerford said that if Mr Downes is still in custody in November he must come to court from prison for his case.
At a contested bail hearing in January, Sgt Shane Graham told the court that it is the Garda belief that the four men before the court charged with robbery were part of a four person joint enterprise “who acted in concert and colluded in order to carry out a cold and calculated robbery”.
Opposing bail for the four, Sgt Graham said that it will be alleged that the four-member strong gang “involved two getaway drivers and two members of the gang that entered the premises where the post mistress was violently and viciously assaulted with iron bars by both males”.
Sgt Graham was one of the members of An Garda Síochana who was involved in a high speed car chase across West Clare that ended on the outskirts of Ennis where the four suspects were apprehended by members of the Garda Armed Response Unit (ARU) at 3.45pm, January 21st.
Sgt Graham said that during the case, items were thrown from the alleged second getaway car, a BMW, and he said that Gardaí later recovered €6,500 in notes and coins from the road.
