Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
REF JAILED FOR POSSESSION OF STOLEN ATM CASH
‘Family man’ got involved with roving border gang
A GAA referee and “family man” who got involved with a crossborder gang that carried out a series of ATM thefts wept yesterday as he was sent to jail.
The Special Criminal Court in Dublin also denied the defendant’s request for a postponement of the sentence to allow him to spend Christmas with his children.
Niall Finnegan, 39, pleaded guilty in July at the three-judge court to possessing or handling €103,930 (£88,000) at The Yard, Tullypole, Moynalty, Co Meath, following an ATM theft in August 2019.
Yesterday at the non-jury court, Mr Justice Tony Hunt jailed the accused for four-and-a-half years, suspending the final 18 months for three years, for possessing the cash, which was the proceeds of ATM thefts carried out by a criminal organisation.
The judge said six ATM thefts had been carried out by what gardai believed to be a cross-border gang based in East Monaghan and South Armagh in 2018 and 2019.
Garda Det Sgt Mark Looby said the gang had used excavators to rip the ATMS from their locations and they had caused “significant amounts of criminal damage” during raids in the border region.
He also said the gang had stolen €790,000 before arrests were made two years ago.
PACKAGES
Mr Justice Hunt said that in the early hours of August 14, 2019, a Toyota Landcruiser and a flat back truck were used to steal a 14-tonne digger in Virginia, Co Cavan, which was to be used in the theft of the ATM in the town but the Garda Emergency Response unit intervened arresting three men.
Mr Justice Hunt said that gardai got a search warrant for a yard at Tullypole and found €289,900 in cash and a money counter in a shed.
One of the arrested males had at that stage been released by gardai and then been driven to Tullypole by Finnegan, of Cherry Grove, Cullyhanna, Co Armagh, in his Berlingo van where two packages of cash were dug up and put in a shed.
The accused and this male left and returned with a third male in a Toyota Avensis later in the day and put €15,000 in the car and €88,930 in the boot of the Avensis.
Mr Justice Hunt said that while Finnegan admitted to twice driving to Tullypole on the day, he denied any involvement with the ATM thefts.
After sentencing, a family member embraced a tearful Finnegan before he was then taken to the cells.