Keys confiscated at crime open security vans, court told
A jury has heard that a set of keys confiscated at the scene of an attempted theft from a cash-in-transit van later opened four similar vehicles at the company’s depot.
Evidence has previously being given that one of the criminal gang had tried unsuccessfully to use the keys to open up a Chubb security van.
Joseph Warren (aged 30) of Belclare Crescent, Ballymun, has pleaded not guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to conspiring to steal cash from Chubb Ireland at Tesco supermarket on the Shackleton Road in Celbridge on November 2, 2007.
Chubb operations manager Eddie O’Farrell said he became aware at around 10.45am that morning that one of the company’s vans had being “hit”.
He said he travelled to Naas Garda Station where the company jeep had being taken and met Sergeant Eugene Stapleton who escorted the jeep back to Chubb’s base in Stillorgan.
Mr O’Farrell told Deirdre Murphy SC, prosecuting, that he then counted out €885,000 which was contained in the safe in the Nissan Patrol jeep.
He said that Sgt Stapleton took a set of four keys which had being confiscated at the scene of the alleged crime and tried each of them in three Chubb vehicles. Mr O’Farrell said Sgt Stapleton was able to unlock all the driver’s doors.
The following day Mr O’Farrell went to a nearby garage where a fourth Chubb jeep was being worked on and witnessed Sgt Stapleton using the fourth key to unlock the driver’s door.
He told the jury that Sgt Stapleton was not able to start the jeep’s ignition with any of the keys.
Mr Warren was arrested at the scene, with Michael Ryan, from whom the keys were seized, Eamonn Dunne, brothers Alan and Wayne Bradley and Jeffrey Morrow.
The jury also heard that an analysis of mobile phones found on the six men revealed that Dunne’s phone number was stored as “evil head” on two of the phones.
Former Detective Garda Colm Gannon told Ms Murphy that the number for the phone seized from Dunne was listed under “Evil Head” on a phone seized from Wayne Bradley.
The same number was listed as “EV-Head” on a phone seized from Alan Bradley.
On the day of the attempted raid a garda surveillance operation observed Dunne, the Bradleys, Mr Morrow, Mr Ryan and Mr Warren travelling in four different vehicles behind the Nissan Patrol jeep, as it made its way from the Chubb Security base on Birch Avenue to the Tesco Shopping Centre.
The trial continues before Judge Patrick McCartan and a jury of seven men and four women.
