Man accused of credit union robbery during which Det Gda Adrian Donohoe was shot dead is refused bail

Brendan Treanor, of Castletown Road in Dundalk, Co Louth, brought an application for bail today which was objected to by gardaí

He is charged with robbery of €7,000 in cash and cheques at Lordship credit union in Bellurgan on 25 January 2013.

The 33-year-old is also accused of conspiracy to commit so-called 'creeper' burglaries with two named individuals between between September 11, 2012, and January 23, 2013.

In July the accused was refused bail by the District Court and this afternoon brought an application to the High Court in Dublin.

Objecting to bail garda sergeant Noel Mohan, of Dundalk garda station, said he was relying to the seriousness of the charges and the strength of the evidence.

He outlined that on the day of the robbery offence detective gardaí Adrian Donohoe and Joe Ryan were on a cash escort on the Cooley Peninsula and travelled in convoy to Lordship credit union.

They were ambushed by four men before €7,000 was stolen. During the course of the robbery Det Gda Donohoe was shot dead.

Sgt Mohan told the court that a witness initially placed Brendan Treanor at his residence at the time of the robbery, but in a recent statement has said that she saw the accused no earlier than 9.45pm, after the commission of the offences.

It was also alleged there are links between the accused and other suspects in the investigation.

The court heard an analysis of his call data records show contact between him and other suspects in the lead up to, and aftermath of, the robbery.

Sgt Mohan said there was no activity on Mr Treanor's mobile phone for a two-hour period at the time of the robbery. He agreed with John Berry BL, defending, that this analysis did not show if the phone was switched on.

Emmet Nolan BL, for the State, said that he wanted to make it clear that Brendan Treanor has not been charged with the murder of Det Gda Donohoe.

Sgt Mohan said that the getaway car used in the credit union robbery was stolen in a creeper burglary in Louth three nights earlier.

He told the court that gardaí identified 11 similar burglaries in different counties which involved an organised crime group.

Under cross-examination Sgt Mohan said he had concerns that there would be interference with prospective witnesses and that, in the trial of another person charged as a result of the investigation, there were a number of attempts made to interfere with witnesses.

He agreed with Mr Berry that this trial related to a different person for a different offence.

The garda sergeant also accepted that Mr Treanor was first arrested in April and during interview was "shown the fruits of the extensive investigation" and made "fully aware of the nature and quantity of the evidence" before being released without charge.

He also agreed that Mr Treanor was again arrested a number of months later and charged but had not attempted to flee.

Mr Berry said the clarified statement made by the witness, Mr Treanor's former partner, says that she saw the accused at 9.45pm.

He said the evidence given by the sergeant suggested that Brendan Treanor did not return before this time, but that this was not the nature of the evidence, and that the witnesses’ statement said she returned to her residence and had a shower before seeing Mr Treanor at 9.45pm.

This, counsel said, didn't speak to the presence of his client before 9.45pm.

Evidence was also given by Chief Supt Christy Mangan of the Louth garda division which cannot be reported for legal reasons.

Mr Nolan submitted to the court that the State's objections to bail were well made out and invited the court to refuse Brendan Treanor bail.

Defence counsel John Berry submitted that his client has ties to this jurisdiction which are great and weighty.

The court was told Mr Treanor's mother lives in Dundalk and that his fiancée also resides in the Republic and they are expecting their first child.

Arguing for bail to be granted, he also said that his client was spoken to by the PSNI in the immediate aftermath of the robbery in 2013, and was first arrested earlier this year, but did not flee.

Having considered the matter Mr Justice Brian McDermott refused bail and remanded the applicant in custody.

Mr Justice McDermott also ruled that certain evidence given in the hearing, that may prejudice the accused’s trial, may not be reported on.

Brendan Treanor has been sent forward for trial before the non-jury Special Criminal Court.