Robber ‘selected easy target bank customers’ in Dublin city centre, court hears

Daniel Weldon (36) is accused of trying to take cash from a woman’s hand as she queued inside a Dublin city centre bank, before being fended off by both customers and staff.

He also allegedly grabbed €200 from a man at an ATM on the same street, leaving the victim’s hands cut from the struggle.

Mr Weldon was refused bail and remanded in custody when he appeared in Dublin District Court.

The accused, with an address at a city centre hostel, is charged with two counts of robbery. The prosecuting garda, objecting to bail, outlined the allegations to Judge Bryan Smyth.

She said in the first incident, on August 27, a man had withdrawn money from the Permanent TSB ATM on O’Connell Street when an assailant approached him and grabbed the cash.

In the struggle to keep his money, the victim’s fingers were cut and the culprit escaped with €200.

It was alleged Mr Weldon was identified on CCTV “loitering and waiting to select an injured party.”

On the morning of September 13, a woman was in the queue in Bank Of Ireland, O’Connell Street, waiting to lodge money when a man approached her from behind and grabbed her cash, the garda said.

She held onto the cash and both of them ended up on the bank floor. Staff and witnesses intervened and, realising he was not going to get the money, the assailant released his grip and fled.

Mr Weldon allegedly matched a description that was given and was seen on CCTV running from the scene before being arrested 20 minutes later on O’Connell Bridge, the garda said.

A file was being prepared for the DPP and directions were sought, the garda said.

Applying for bail, defence solicitor Fergal Boyle said the accused was presumed innocent and it was not alleged that any weapons were used.

The garda said that force was used and the “injured parties were put in fear”.

Judge Smyth refused bail and remanded the accused in custody to appear in Cloverhill District Court.